Valemount’s Swiss Bakery has been nominated for a Small Business BC award in the category of “Best Concept.”
“The unique artisan old fashioned way of baking is not just a great community plus but attracts hundreds of tourists from all over the world to the small Village of Valemount,” the Bakery’s submission says on the Small Business BC website.
The Bakery has been operated by Silvia Jungo and Bogdan Wasaznik since 2010, when they took over from the Bakery founders Manfred and Natalia Zumbrunn. Jungo is originally from Switzerland and Wasaznik from Poland.
Since that time, Jungo and Wasaznik have expanded the offerings of the bakery into hot breakfasts and lunches, added a public washroom, more public seating and new recipes.
“The way we bake and operate becomes very rare,” the couple says on their nomination page. “Two people from the old world, not shy of hard work, long hours, artisan breads, pastries baked in a ceramic stone deck oven daily, soups and other lunches with a stunning view of the Caribou Mountains behind the train tracks of Valemount. The strong community support makes us believe in Valemount, which at times is and was a small struggling community. Having moved here 3.5 years ago from Edmonton, we knew this is where we belong and were we want to be.”
Small Business BC has nine award nomination categories. New this year is the Premier’s People’s Choice Award which recognizes the business that receives the most support from their community.
All awards winners will receive a Premier’s Prize of $1,500 cash, a one-year all-access pass to Small Business BC education and experts, as well as business mentorship opportunities.
All nominated business owners will be tasked with gaining as many votes as possible through social media, word of mouth, e-mail or any other means possible by November 30, 2013.
The top 10 highest voted nominees in each category will be announced as finalists on December 13, 2013, then go on to submit an application which judges will use to decide the top five finalists from each category, announced on January 31, 2013. The top five finalists will present a ten-minute pitch to judges to prove themselves to be one of the best in BC. The winners of each category will be announced at the Small Business BC Awards Ceremony in February 2013, at the Pan Pacific Vancouver. The Small Business BC Awards, previously known as the Successful You Awards, celebrate the top small businesses across British Columbia. Nominations and voting are open until November 30. For more info visit www.sbbcawards.ca.
