Costa Brava Bakery & Patisserie owner Rebecca Kameika was one of two selected for the annual Spruce Root Path to Prosperity grant—a regional business competition that awards $25,000 to winners.
Kameika, who was recognized for her success at the Southeast Conference this week in Juneau, was selected in July as one of 12 finalists. She has since developed a business plan and financial plan, the fruit of a three-day “business bootcamp” the finalists attended in October.
“It was a ton of work. I don’t think I’ve put that kind of work in since going to grad school, probably not even in grad school, to be honest,” she said.
She said her business plan includes a long-time dream of expanding her bakery into a dessert and tapas bar.
“It’s been a couple years now that I wanted to have a tapas wine and dessert bar concept,” Kameika said. “I’m Cuban. My family is from Spain. I wanted to bring that kind of food up to this area. Tapas are always fun.”
Kameika started her bakery in 2020 and has since become the borough’s biggest wedding cake supplier. She said her business plan includes projections from a restaurant in Skagway from which she could operate out of and still supply locals and tourist with her baked goods.
“The idea was to put in in Skagway, but continue servicing tour companies in Haines and definitely still supporting the wedding industry in Haines because it’s quite large,” she said. “What the judges apparently liked about my proposals was that I was supporting two rural communities, which is a big part of Spruce Root’s mission.”
Kameika said she will use the $25,000 to buy new baking equipment. She currently bakes out of her home, and works a remote, full-time job for a marketing agency.
The annual award competition is hosted by Spruce Root, a Juneau-based community development nonprofit. This year it was open only to start-ups and businesses that derive a significant portion of income from tourism.
The contest aims to push entrepreneurs “to build up their local economy, improve the environment, and educate visitors responsibly about Southeast Alaska,” program administrator Izzy Haywood told the CVN.
More than 300 businesses and start-ups across Southeast have applied for the award during the last ten years, and 21 have won a total of $660,000. Haines awardees account for about 20% of the winners. Six local businesses have won the award since the first competition in 2012: Port Chilkoot Distillery and Fairweather Ski Works in 2014; Mud Bay Lumber in 2018; and Foundroot in 2019. Three Haines businesses, Adventure Harvest, Spruce & Birch Acres and SEAK Expeditions, have been finalists.