Pasifika Project

What Pasifika Project does

Pasifika Project is a privately held advocacy and community organization founded in 2019 by Mariah Kunkel — of Indigenous CHamoru (Guahan) and African-American descent — and based in Los Angeles, with team presence in the Bay Area (Samuel Jimenez) and a Creative Lead (Amara Stibbie). The organization is dedicated to supporting individuals of Oceanic descent (Polynesian, Micronesian, Melanesian) working in the hospitality and beverage industries, providing a platform for Indigenous voices to guide trade conversations on Pacific cultures and appropriation. Its core activities combine community fellowship, grassroots advocacy on Pacific Island issues (climate change, demilitarization, self-determination, cultural preservation, health and wellness, economic development), speaking engagements, event production, and hospitality consulting delivered by the founder to clients in hospitality, spirits and fashion industries.

The organization's product surface is a content-and-directory ecosystem delivered through a Squarespace-hosted public website, comprising: a curated Reading List of essays, books, art, fiction and poetry on Oceania, decolonization and indigenous studies; an "On Tiki" editorial resource hub offering criticism and historical context on tiki culture and colonialism; the Pasifika-Owned Beverage Brands Directory covering 30+ spirits, wine, beer and cider producers across the USA, New Zealand, Guam, and other markets; and a People page showcasing leadership. The technology stack is intentionally lightweight — Squarespace for the web property and Instagram for organic social — with no proprietary software, AI/ML components, APIs, or apps. There is no registered trademark, no funding rounds, and no parent entity disclosed.

The revenue model is professional-services-led rather than product-led. The founder conducts hospitality consulting for clients in hospitality, spirits and fashion (per Mariah Kunkel's prior roles as Brand Development Director at Banhez Mezcal Artesanal and Director of Marketing at Brooklyn Gin), supplemented by speaking engagements and produced events. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is engagement-based. Marketing is dominated by earned media (NYT, LA Times, PUNCH, NPR, Eater, The Atlantic, Liquor.com, HuffPost, Vice, SFMOMA Open Space), Instagram organic social, and an email newsletter. The organization is recognized via the Imbibe 75 Class of 2021 and the Imbibe 75 People 2020 (Jimenez), and cross-promotes via the founder's sister venture, Brown Sugar Burlesque.

Name

Pasifika Project

Legal name

pasifika project

Website

https://pasifikaproject.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Pasifika Project is a privately held advocacy organization founded in 2019 for Oceanic-descent professionals in hospitality and beverage, delivering community, consulting, events, and curated educational resources (including a Pasifika-Owned Beverage Brands Directory and tiki-criticism library) via a Squarespace website.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hospitality Consulting Services

NAICS

Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Indigenous, Ethnic & Folk Arts/Heritage Organizations (BPAGAHAI)

Keywords

• Hospitality consulting services
• Cultural advocacy platform
• Beverage industry education
• Community advocacy services
• Indigenous representation consulting

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Hospitality consulting: Provides hospitality consulting services to clients (also confirmed via Mariah Kunkel's consulting work for clients in hospitality, spirits and fashion industries). Engagement-based, professional services revenue.
2. Speaking engagements and events: Monetized via speaking engagements and the production of events; revenue model not explicitly disclosed but typical for advocacy organizations.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Pasifika Project is a community advocacy organization that supports individuals of Oceanic descent working in the hospitality and beverage industries. It provides hospitality consulting, speaking engagements, events, and curated educational content including the Pasifika-Owned Beverage Brands Directory, an On Tiki resource hub, and a Reading List on Oceania, decolonization, and indigenous studies. Its mission centers on elevating Indigenous voices, addressing cultural appropriation, and raising awareness of Pacific Island issues including climate change, demilitarization, self-determination, cultural preservation, health and wellness, and economic development.

Product overview

Pasifika Project is a single unified community-advocacy organization (not a multi-product software platform) with a portfolio of content modules and curated resources delivered through its Squarespace-hosted website. The core organization is dedicated to supporting individuals of Oceanic descent in the hospitality and beverage industries, and it is composed of named content/resource offerings: the main Pasifika Project organization page (mission and advocacy overview); the "On Tiki" editorial module (tiki criticism and historical resources); the Pasifika-Owned Beverage Brands Directory (curated list of Pacific Islander-owned spirits, wines, and beers); the Reading List (curated reference library of essays, books, and art); and the Our People team page (leadership bios). Together these form an integrated advocacy, education, and community-building offering rather than a software product suite.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hospitality Consulting Engagement-based consulting services for clients in the hospitality, spirits, and fashion industries, covering cultural inclusion, Pacific cultural representation, brand development, and trade education. Delivered by Founder Mariah Kunkel and her team to beverage brands, hospitality operators, and trade organizations.
• Speaking Engagements and Produced Events Paid speaking engagements and self-produced events delivered by Pasifika Project team members to industry audiences, covering Pacific cultural representation, appropriation (including tiki), and Indigenous inclusion in hospitality and beverage trade conversations.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SquarespacecoreTechnology or IntegrationWebsite infrastructure provider. Pasifika Project's site at pasifikaproject.com is "Powered by Squarespace," providing the platform for the homepage, Reading List, People, Beverage Brands directory, Tiki and Contact pages, plus newsletter signup.
• Beer Is For Everyone (Lindsay Malu Kido)minorOthersAssisted Pasifika Project in building the breweries section of its Pasifika-Owned Beverage Brands directory. Acknowledged publicly as "Mahalo Nui Loa to Lindsay Malu Kido at Beer Is For Everyone for her assistance on the breweries."
• Brown Sugar BurlesqueminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFounder Mariah Kunkel is also the founder of Brown Sugar Burlesque, a live cabaret entertainment experience that centers Black creativity, artistry and excellence both onstage and behind the bar. Cross-promotes Pasifika Project's community and advocacy mission.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Slow Food USA: Nonprofit advocating for good, clean, and fair food with explicit programs around Indigenous foodways, biodiversity, and cultural preservation. Thematically aligned with Pasifika Project's climate, self-determination, and cultural-preservation advocacy in a different (food) vertical.
• VinePair: Large-scale beverage media company covering wine, beer, and spirits news, education, and culture. Overlaps with Pasifika Project on industry education and cultural-criticism coverage in the same craft-beverage media ecosystem.
• PUNCH: Digital beverage media outlet that has featured Pasifika Project and covers bars, spirits, and industry culture. Comparable as a tastemaker in the same cultural conversation around tiki, representation, and craft beverage.
• Imbibe Magazine: Trade publication that has recognized Pasifika Project in its Imbibe 75 lists (2020 and 2021). Functions as a media amplifier/curator in the same beverage industry conversation and shares audience with Pasifika Project.

Direct peers

• Brown Sugar Burlesque: Founder Mariah Kunkel's sister live-cabaret venture centering Black creativity in hospitality and beverage. Closest peer in terms of mission, founder identity, and community/cultural-advocacy model within beverage-adjacent entertainment.
• Beer Is For Everyone: Community organization led by Lindsay Malu Kido that assists craft beer on DEI, education, and inclusion. Already a named partner to Pasifika Project on the breweries section of the beverage-brand directory, and directly comparable as a community-led advocacy effort inside a specific beverage vertical.

Broad incumbents

• United States Bartenders' Guild (USBG): National nonprofit bartenders' association with chapters across the U.S., providing community, education, and advocacy for bar professionals. Comparable to Pasifika Project's fellowship and education role for hospitality/beverage professionals, though scoped to all bartenders rather than Pasifika specifically.
• Tales of the Cocktail Foundation: Long-standing nonprofit producer of the leading spirits-industry conference and a range of education, scholarship, and DEI programs. Overlaps with Pasifika Project on hospitality/beverage education, events, and community development but at a much larger scale and broader scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/pasifikaproject

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pasifika Project