Rosa Garcia, owner of Alaskan Heat Products, LLC

Alaskan Heat Products, LLC is a family-owned retailer, wholesaler and manufacturer of Alaskan-made hot fiery foods based in Anchorage.  Rosa Rodriguez Garcia, the owner, descends from a long line of entrepreneurs. Her grandmother owned a meat market and general store back in Rosa's hometown, Ulvaldes, Texas. Her great-grandfather created handcrafted machinery and food processing equipment that would have otherwise been unavailable. Several of the devices are now on loan to a museum in Texas, including one powered by a Ford Model-A engine.  However, it was Rosa's great-grandmother, Rosa Alvarez, who inspired her spicy business endeavor.

Mama Rosa's Alaskan Heat Salsa is the result of Abuela Rosa's recipe combined with over a decade of preparation in the business world. As a child, Rosa spent many long hours in the kitchen, peering over her mother's shoulder and learning traditional recipes and techniques. "I love to cook," she says with a laugh, "It's in my blood!" In high school, she was a member of the Future Business Leaders of America Club. Before moving to Alaska and accepting a position at BP, she dabbled in a few small home businesses, but none of them was really successful. Meanwhile, she kept preparing old family recipes and entertaining friends. While working in the oil industry, Rosa received such an overwhelmingly positive response to her homemade salsa that she realized that she might be able to market it professionally. She attended Alaska Pacific University and studied organizational management. It took her three years to obtain her degree while working full time, but both her employer and her family were very supportive. The salsa business was the basis for most of her projects, papers, and case studies.  Her final project was a 100-page feasibility study.  After several more years of market research and product testing, Rosa finally opened her business.  Alaskan Heat Products currently operates out of a leased kitchen, but Rosa aspires to acquire a storefront production facility where she can offer visitor facilities and display her great-grandfather's creations. 

While she was planning for her business, Rosa also attended workshops through the Anchorage Small Business Development Center, which she calls a "tremendous resource." The SBDC is one of the many resources available through the U.S. Small Business Administration. "They have a wealth of knowledge available to people starting a business; people who don't get plugged into this resource are missing so much!" Twelve years is a long time to prepare for a new business, but throughout it all Rosa remained inspired. "The energy you get from something you have a passion for is tremendous," she says.

It turns out that others are passionate about Rosa and her Alaskan Heat salsa products as well.  She and her products were selected by Walt Disney/Touchtone Productions to be featured in the upcoming Hollywood movie, "The Proposal," starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds.  The movie is scheduled to be released during February, 2009. Rosa plays an "extra" in two parts of the movie, so look for her and Alaskan Heat salsa products on the big screen next winter!