A Vail baker has earned Pima County’s top small business honor, thanks in part to her love for animals.
University of Arizona alumna Alisha Brewer founded Bake a Difference Cookie Shop in Sept. 2024. For every cookie she sells, $1 goes to a local animal nonprofit.
It's a big reason why the Pima County Small Business Commission selected Bake a Difference as the overall winner among 106 entires in its 2025 Small Business of the Year Awards, according to a news release on the Pima County website.
Bake a Difference mainly sells its cookies at the Between the Tracks market in Vail. Some of its seasonal flavors include Reese’s stuffed, cherry chip, root beer, and chocolate chunk. Brewer’s husband and two sons help run the booth.
Customers can choose where their cookie dollars are donated, including to the
Reid Park Zoo’s Animal Enrichment Fund, Pima Animal Care Center, Little Lotus Rescue and Sanctuary, and the Southern Arizona Cat Rescue.
Bake a Difference has contributed nearly $2,000 to local animal groups so far.
