Bellingham Luncheon Keynote

Erin Baker started baking and selling cookies at nine years old and loved it so much she made it her life’s work. She founded Erin Baker’s Wholesome Baked Goods in 1994, in a rented 4-H kitchen at the Whidbey Island Fairground. Inspired by her mom’s healthy baking and entrepreneurial spirit, Erin created a revolutionary new way to serve breakfast, and the Breakfast Cookie was born. The company has since grown to a 20,000 square foot bakery with distribution in 35 states. Baker’s steady, solid growth and staying power is based on a “spend what you have” business philosophy. “In the beginning no one would loan me money for an oven so I had to figure out how to self-fund, and I have been doing it ever since. This may not be the fastest way to grow…but it’s safer!”

For the last sixteen years, oats, fruit and honey have been the staple ingredients in her bakery, making Baker a pioneer in the food industry. Erin takes great pride in baking products with whole food ingredients which provide sustained energy and optimal nutrition for families. Simple, wholesome baking principles inspired Erin when she was a little girl and they still make perfect sense now. Some things just don’t change! In addition to baking healthy goodies, Erin is passionate about kids and keeping them healthy. That’s why she lends a hand at the Whatcom County Boys & Girls Clubs by providing Breakfast Cookies and a “Bottomless Fruit Bowl” for each of the five Whatcom County clubs. Erin believes that if we provide an always available “fruit bowl” for the kids, fruit will become the “go to” snack instead of products from the vending machine.