Former cafe, bakery, and commissary kitchen owner Erica Escalante is launching a cafe accelerator program aimed at helping new coffee shops thrive.
The Reina Cafe Accelerator is a 24-week, small-group mentorship program started by Escalante, now a coffee consultant based in Southern California. The accelerator provides “real guidance [shop owners] need to have a thriving business,” according to the program’s website.
Applications are now open through March 23, 2025. The accelerator program is aimed at owners of cafes that have been operating for at least one year. A selection committee will review applications and choose eight participants to be part of the inaugural cohort.
The program includes:
- Weekly group sessions covering operational topics like budgeting, branding, and sales
- One-one-on coaching sessions
- Guest speakers from around the industry
- Hands-on resources and tools to support learning objectives
Escalante opened her first cafe in Portland, Oregon, when she was 21; later, the business expanded to include a second location and a full-scale baking program with wholesale clients. She became a coffee consultant in 2024 after working in operations for coffee businesses like Canyon Coffee and Goodboybob Coffee Roasters.
“I love being a consultant because I love helping people,” Escalante says. “Very early in my consulting journey, I was meeting people who were struggling with very little budgets, which made me think, ‘How can I help these amazing business owners while still taking care of my own family and bills?’”
The Reina Coffee Accelerator adds to the growing business development resources available to coffee entrepreneurs.
Participants will commit between one and five hours per week to the program, which begins April 11. It costs $1,100, and can be paid in five monthly installments of $220. Most accelerator programs, the website says, “cost thousands of dollars or demand equity in your company, making them out of reach for many small business owners.”
“I wanted to build something different—something truly accessible, impactful, and tailored for independent cafes—and I can’t do it alone,” Escalante says.
The accelerator format allows Escalante to extend her expertise beyond one-on-one consulting and reach more cafe owners. She drew inspiration from her own experience as a participant in the 2020 cohort of the Built Oregon Accelerator for her bakery business.
“The amount of loving support I received from the director, Mitch, was just unmatched. I never felt like he was judging me,” she says. “Having an advocate like that was so inspiring, and I want to be that for others. It was in those classes, through those homework assignments, that I discovered who I really was.”
The Reina Cafe Accelerator is sponsored by industry partners, including Spirit Tea, Created Co., and Proper Syrups; Fresh Cup will also lend support as the program’s media sponsor. “I am so truly honored by their support and their care for the industry,” Escalante says. “Our industry is full of people with big hearts—they all heard this idea, and all said yes.”
A key component of the program will be sharing updates on social media “and real moments from our cohort members as they work on their cafes,” Escalante notes.
The program promises participants access to essential knowledge that successful cafe operators use. “It’s all the lessons I’ve had to teach to my clients over and over again to lead people to success and profitability,” she says, adding that there are “fun things in store for the participants yet to be announced.”
Interested business owners can find more information on the Reina Cafe Accelerator site, and can apply for the program here.
