As a child in Mexico, Estela Luna grew up making traditional Mexican sweet breads. She began to pursue a baking career in 2012 by experimenting in her home kitchen. In 2021, her son Marcos Santiago brought her dream fully to life by opening Dos Caminos Bakery, a Mexican artisan bakery, in Hope.
The name comes from Luna’s hometown, Dos Caminos, Guerrero, Mexico. The bakery offers cakes, cookies, and more than 50 types of scratch-made breads and pastries.
Janell Morton of the Southern Arkansas University ASBTDC guided the family through the transition from a home-based operation to a retail location, helping with business planning, market research, and funding options.
Market analysis provided by the center indicated that the bakery would have the best opportunity for success by appealing to Latino and non-Latino markets. Through its Specialty Services, ASBTDC helped the bakery with a plan to target both English and Spanish speakers and introduce traditional Mexican pastries and breads to non-Latino customers.
Julianne Murphy, a bilingual ASBTDC business specialist, worked with Santiago and Luna on a marketing plan and brand for Dos Caminos.
With her guidance, Santiago launched the bakery’s online presence.
Their efforts brought in 200 likes on the first day the Facebook business page was live, an initial post shared 22 times, and the bakery’s first sale using the Facebook platform. A search on Google for Dos Caminos Bakery brought up Yelp, Yahoo, Instagram, Google Maps, and Facebook all in the business name.
On Nov. 4, 2021, Dos Caminos Bakery officially opened its 112 S. Elm Street storefront in Hope.
Dos Caminos has a fully functioning website that can be viewed in English or Spanish. The online menu describes bakery items for customers who are not familiar with Mexican pastries with professional photos of the delicious treats. Customers can also place orders through the site for pick up at the retail location.
“My experience working with ASBTDC was great! It was organized and straightforward,” said Santiago. “I learned so much in the process with each appointment that we had. Learning new things is always fun.”