Racial Equity Fund Spotlight: Nadia Montoya

AIM’s Racial Equity Fund Alumni Spotlight – Nadia Montoya, Founder, Nadia’s Dessert

Monday, October 14, 2024

The Racial Equity Fund (REF) is one of AIM’s core strategies tied to our Path to Racial Equity, and this month we are proud to spotlight Nadia Montoya, Founder of Nadia’s Dessert, and beneficiary of AIM’s Racial Equity Fund. Nadia’s Dessert makes desserts and pastries with low-gluten and dairy-free options from high quality, local ingredients.

Nadia began Nadia’s Dessert three years ago to fill a need she saw in her community for delicious desserts with options for all eaters. Using her 12 years of experience as a pastry chef, Nadia began crafting her creations and selling them at AIM’s Point Reyes farmer’s market.

“I wanted to give my community options,” Nadia recalls.

Nadia’s desserts quickly gained attention from the local community. After only her third day at the Point Reyes market, Nadia began selling her treats at Palace Market, a local grocery store in Point Reyes Station, and that was only the beginning.

“After Palace Market, I started adding more stores, and now we sell to stores in Marin, Petaluma, and San Francisco.”

In 2024, Nadia applied to and was accepted into the third cohort of AIM’s Racial Equity Fund.

“Being part of the Racial Equity Fund was a beautiful opportunity.”

AIM’s Racial Equity Fund strives to reduce barriers to market entry, by specifically supporting BIPOC farmers, food producers, and artisans at AIM’s farmers markets. Each gift to the REF allows AIM to cover the cohort’s market registration fees, 6 months of market fees, a $1,000 stipend for any market-related costs, and a mentorship with an established market participant or Small Business Development Center advisor.

Nadia used her stipend to cover a portion of her health permit and business licensing fees—a cost that many market participants face year after year. Removing, although temporarily, the burden of these constant costs from market participants allows them to invest their money back into their businesses.

“Every year we have to renew the licenses, and the health permits are very expensive. We have to renew them for every county we sell in.”

Looking into the next year, Nadia wants to bring her delectable desserts to even more people.

“I would like to add more stores, and I would like to sell my refrigerated desserts at the farmers markets – I need Cambro industrial coolers to store them at the market and they’re more expensive than just a regular cooler. I would like to sell vegan and gluten free chocolate cake, pumpkin pudding, pumpkin pie, the fruit desserts. I’m selling those at the stores, but I would like to sell them at the farmers market too.”

You can find Nadia’s Dessert at our Thursday Marin Civic Center Market and our Sunday Stonestown Market, as well as several stores throughout the Bay, including Mill Valley Market and Palace Market. Learn more about Nadia’s Dessert on her website!

HELP SUPPORT THE NEXT COHORT OF AIM’s RACIAL EQUITY FUND  

AIM’s goal is to accept as many Racial Equity Fund participants as we have the funds to support each year, so please donate generously today.