Overview - 2024 Finalists - Competition Details - Past Winners - FAQ

Past winners

Costa Brava, Bakery & Pâtisserie, is a high-end pastry shop specializing in custom wedding cakes, celebration cakes, and pastries that draw inspiration from Spanish and French cuisine, culture, and aesthetics. It is owned and operated by Rebecca Kameika (kah-MAY-kah) who moved to Haines in 2019 and founded the bakery in the summer of 2020, driven by a lifelong passion for baking. The bakery brings artistic expression and creativity into the kitchen to create unique and sophisticated designs and flavors like no other in remote, small-town Alaska.

New Earth Fungi, owned by Alannah (ah-LAW-nah) Johnson, is a small Gourmet and Medicinal Mushroom Farm located in Juneau, Alaska. Their products include locally cultivated mushrooms that are offered fresh, dried, or in medicinal tonics. Not only are their fresh mushrooms offered at grocery stores in town, but they are also sold to local restaurants, where visitors get to enjoy them and have the chance to purchase dried mushrooms or tonics to take home with them. New Earth Fungi also offers local mushroom foraging tours and cultivation workshops where locals and visitors alike can learn about the rich mycological ecosystems of Juneau.

Kasaan, Arts, Museum and Canoes, run by Bonnie and Stormy Hamar, provides immersive cultural tours that give visitors a glimpse into the rich Haida culture of Kasaan. Visitors can watch Haida carver Stormy craft a traditional cedar canoe, browse the gift shop for locally made art, and gaze at the treasures held in the museum. Bonnie serves as the curator of the museum and has filled its walls with everything from ancient artifacts to modern regalia, including stone tools, woven cedar hats, dance robes, objects from Kasaan's cannery and mining days, and even Stormy’s first childhood canoe models.

Fishability is a Ketchikan-based startup that will offer on-the-water excursions to people with disabilities and their families, friends, or care providers aboard a custom-built vessel designed with universal access in mind. Owner Jack Finnegan will serve as the compassionate captain at the helm, bringing his extensive experience in working with individuals of all ages with a wide range of disabilities. Fishability is founded on the notion of providing respect along with the opportunity to experience the distinct thrills, joys, and beauty that are unique to the waterways of Ketchikan.

Kaasei Training and Consulting works to revitalize traditional knowledge of Indigenous plants and foods by holding workshops and trainings that encourage participants to deepen their connections to self, community, and the environment. Kaasei is run by Naomi Michalsen, a Tlingit chef and grandmother who is based in Ketchikan. Kaasei’s harvesting, preserving and cooking workshops help participants further their understanding of their beautiful surroundings, increase appreciation for the deep cultural history of the Indigenous people of Alaska, and gain knowledge of harvesting ethically and respectfully.

Coastal Heating and Repair is a start-up business owned by Jimmi and Starr Jensen that will provide the community of Yakutat with heating and plumbing services, giving residents the opportunity to have cleaner, safer, and more energy efficient homes. Jimmi, who is Inupiaq, has over ten years of experience as a heating technician and has provided this service to residents of Yakutat for several years as a "side job.” Starr, who is Tlingit and Koyukon Athabascan, will support the finance and scheduling side of the business. Jimmi and Starr are thrilled to be able to do this work full time as a means to support their family and hometown of Yakutat.

Foundroot is an open-pollinated seed company run by Leah Wagner and Nick Schlosstein in Haines that sells vegetable, herb, and flower seeds proven for Alaskan growing conditions. On their small sustainable farm in Haines, Foundroot is growing seed varieties that are adapted to Alaska’s climatic challenges and have sent seeds to over 65 different communities throughout the state. Teaching their customers how to save their own seeds and supporting their gardening and farming endeavors is integral to the company’s philosophy. Foundroot’s mission is for all Alaskans to feel confident growing food, no matter the scale, and fostering self-reliance and a deeper sense of food security for us all.

Village Coffee Company is a drive-thru espresso shop in Yakutat run by Justyne Wheeler that serves custom coffee drinks and homemade pastries crafted from locally-sourced ingredients, including fresh salmonberry upside down cake and spruce tip tea. In the small community of Yakutat, Village Coffee Company has found itself serving many regulars, who oftentimes drive up in 4x4s or forklifts to get their daily cup. Village Coffee Company works closely with the community to be as environmentally sustainable as possible. They provide coffee grinds for composting; use compostable stir-sticks, cups, and packaging; and source locally when possible.

Mud Bay Lumber Company is a family-based small-scale sawmill focused on community collaboration, environmental integrity, and self-reliance. Nestled in the rainforests of Haines, Alaska, they manufacture and sell local hand-picked, quality trees in the form of rough cut boards, slabs, and other added-value wood products. They promote the responsible use of natural resources through a zero log-waste goal, operating within the limits of the State Forest Management Plan, and by using each tree to its opportune use. By making local timber products accessible and affordable to the Haines community, Mud Bay Lumber Company is also helping to eliminate the fuel and plastic packaging used in long-distance transportation of lumber. They are invested in making local resources accessible and affordable to their community and growing the Haines timber industry into a stable part of the economy.

Juneau Composts performs natural alchemy, packages it, and resells it, all while reducing the noxious waste in our landfill.  They take your kitchen scraps, cook them with thermophilic microorganisms and turn them into rich soil ready for the garden. So far they have diverted more than 111,900 lbs of material from the landfill, turning it into earthy-smelling goodness. They also provide compost education and technical support. They are currently the only composting service available in Juneau and they serve households and businesses of all kinds.

Mighty Bear Roots is an aeroponic greenhouse start-up that will provide the community of Wrangell with a local source of fresh healthy produce.  The clean and green operation will utilize energy efficient full spectrum LED lighting, solar panels, rain catch and ground-to-air heat transfer systems to reduce its ecological footprint while growing delicious, healthy food that doesn’t need to be barged in. Mighty Bear Roots: pioneering ‘Solar to Stomach’ farming in Southeast Alaska.

Alaska Apple Farms supplies fruit trees, tree maintenance and support services, and fresh, locally grown apples to and Southeast Alaska.  After years of experimenting with local and disease resistant rootstocks, Game Creek Family Orchards has developed a reputation for producing apple trees uniquely crafted to thrive in Southeast Alaska. The orchard will market local apples that have a flavor and texture far superior to those generally available in local supermarkets.

Skyaana Coffee Co (Klawock) is a local coffee roaster that celebrates tradition and heritage, offering a variety of blends and single origin coffee beans.

Barnacle Foods (Juneau) uses hand-harvested kelp and other Alaskan ingredients to bring unique flavors from the wilds of Alaska's coast to your kitchen in the form of salsas, spices, and goods for Southeast and beyond.

The Salty Pantry (Petersburg) is a coffee shop providing gourmet salts, artisan foods, baked goods.

Sawmill Farm (Sitka) brought commercial agriculture to Sitka, supporting Sitkans who maintained their own backyard operations.

Port Chilkoot Distillery (Haines) offers gin, bourbon, rye whiskey, moonshine, vodka, and absinthe; their tasting room features a specialty cocktail menu, gifts, and taste samples.

Fairweather Ski Works (Haines) handcrafts skis and snowboards out of locally harvested Sitka Spruce and birch beneath the impressive peaks of Haines, Alaska.

Coppa (Juneau) won the 2014 People's Choice Award. Coppa is a gourmet coffee shop that offers hand-crafted ice cream (often from locally harvested ingredients), coffee, tea, baked goods, and lunch.

 Icy Straits Lumber (Hoonah) is a family owned sawmill that is committed to creating high quality lumber and other wood products for sale in Southeast Alaska.

Raven Guitars (Wrangell) crafts guitars from locally-sourced woods.

This is an Equal Opportunity Program. Discrimination is prohibited by Federal Law.