World of Coffee San Diego 2026

Erica Escalante
Cafe & Bakery Consultant
The Cafe Operator


Erica Escalante is a seasoned coffee professional and baker. She is most know for her time being a cafe/bakery owner for nearly 10 years in the Portland, OR area, starting entrepreneurship at just 21 years old. Her cafe was a beloved and bustling business, growing to 2 locations with a full bakery program (including over a dozen wholesale accounts), a full food program, and a commissary kitchen program. After her time as a cafe owner, she worked in various operational roles - Head of Retail for Canyon Coffee, and Director of Operations for Goodboybob Coffee Roasters. She now runs The Cafe Operator, a consulting agency helping businesses become more profitable and create better work environments for all. She focuses her time not only on client work, but also hosting various virtual workshops and running her robust social media accounts where she puts helpful and entertaining cafe business focused content. Erica lives in Los Angeles with her wife and her two cutie daughters.

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