David Orozco has quickly emerged as an innovator in the food and beverage industry as CEO of Brisas Empanadas, a Miami-based wholesale affiliate of his family’s Brisas Colombianas Bakery & Restaurant.

A native of Elizabeth, N.J., with ancestral roots in Colombia, Orozco graduated from the College of Business in 2013 with a degree in marketing, majoring in professional sales, plus a minor in entrepreneurship. He embarked on a career in corporate sales, worked for industry giants such as UPS and Grainger and gained experience as an account executive, senior account executive and government account manager.

In 2018, he joined the Colombian restaurant and bakery chain that his family founded 20 years earlier in his hometown and eventually expanded to Orlando, Fla. His career move marked the inception of Brisas Empanadas, a frozen-food manufacturer that specializes in empanadas – savory pastries popular throughout Latin America – and a range of other Hispanic delights. He became CEO in January 2020.

Brisas Empanadas boasts authentic Latinx food options through cutting-edge technology and touts itself as an industry leader in mass-scale frozen-food distribution.
The company last year became the official empanada of Seminole Sports Properties, believed the first such designation of its kind among so-called Power 5 universities. Brisas also stands as the official empanada of Major League Soccer’s New York Red Bulls.

Through Brisas, Orozco aims to provide representation for people of underrepresented backgrounds. As part of that mission, Orozco’s company supports The Hive, a Miami-based nonprofit organization that gives creative teens a co-working space to hone their artistic skills and includes the Brisas Creative Innovation Studio.

Orozco also cherishes time with his wife, daughter and their dog, and he remains a passionate supporter of Florida State University athletics. He also enjoys discovering new musicians and takes pleasure in persuading friends to explore Colombian culture.