Today we’d like to introduce you to Emma Vaitkus.
Hi Emma, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My career has really grown out of a love for making beautiful things with care and precision. Before Farina, I spent several years in chocolate making, starting in Albuquerque, NM and continuing that work in Portland. What drew me to chocolate was the combination of beauty and rigor: it’s creative and sensory, but it also demands structure, consistency, and attention to detail.
Farina Bakery began as a cozy neighborhood hub and has grown into one of Portland’s most recognizable macaron and pastry brands, with a loyal retail following and a growing regional wholesale presence. I started at Farina on our macaron production team. After a hand injury meant I could no longer work in production in the same way, I shifted into our retail and delivery teams. That ended up opening a new path for me. I started noticing opportunities to improve systems, communication, staffing, training, and the overall customer and employee experience.
Within about two years, the bakery was growing tremendously, and I went from being an individual contributor to leading the business as General Manager. I think that happened because Farina’s owner saw that I was making a real impact: improving systems, strengthening communication, supporting the team, and bringing steadiness and care to areas of the business that were growing quickly. A lot of what I do now involves things I had never done before stepping into leadership, but one of my greatest strengths is that I know how to learn. I’m willing to ask questions, figure things out, build better systems, and keep moving forward.
Now, as General Manager, I oversee a growing bakery with a large team, a busy retail operation, wholesale partnerships, production coordination, delivery logistics, staffing, and day-to-day operations. It’s a lot, but it’s also deeply meaningful work. In some ways, management feels connected to what first drew me to chocolate: it still requires beauty and rigor, just in a different form. Instead of tempering chocolate or perfecting a macaron, I’m building systems, supporting people, and helping create an environment where employees can do good work and feel respected while they’re doing it.
One of the most rewarding parts of my role is knowing that I have the ability to shape the experience people have at work. We all spend so much of our lives working, and as a leader, I take seriously the opportunity to make that experience more positive, clear, supportive, and meaningful. I’m proud of the growth I’ve helped lead at Farina, but I’m equally proud of the workplace culture I’m helping build: one that values care, clarity, accountability, and respect.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road, but some of the hardest parts of my path have ended up becoming the most meaningful.
A big turning point for me was a hand injury that meant I could no longer work in production the way I had for years. At the time, it was devastating. I had built so much of my identity around making beautiful things by hand, and not being able to do that in the same way felt like a real loss.
But looking back, that injury became this unexpected turning point in my career. Because I couldn’t stay in production, I moved into other parts of the business: retail, delivery, communication, systems, and operations. I had managed production teams in past roles, but this was the first time I was really stepping into the work of helping run an entire business. I discovered that I’m not only good at operations and leadership, but that I really enjoy them. I love creating systems, bringing clarity to complicated situations, supporting employees, and figuring out how all the moving pieces of a business can work better together.
Another challenge has been the pace of growth at Farina. Since I started, the business has grown rapidly and significantly. I’ve helped more than triple our wholesale business, and our team has expanded a lot as well. That kind of growth is exciting, but it also comes with real challenges. Like in a startup, small business leadership requires being comfortable with ambiguity, figuring things out as you go, creating structure where there wasn’t much structure before, and building clear ways of working from the ground up.
A lot of my role has required me to be both strategic and hands-on: planning for growth, improving communication, creating structure, supporting managers, solving problems in real time, and sometimes just jumping in to make things happen. That can be demanding, but it has also shaped me into a much stronger leader. I’ve learned that I can walk into unfamiliar territory, ask the right questions, build what’s needed, and help bring steadiness to a fast-growing business.
So no, it hasn’t been a smooth road. But the unexpected turns have taught me a lot about myself. What started as a painful limitation ended up opening the door to work that I’m deeply proud of, and to a version of myself as a leader that I might not have discovered otherwise.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m the General Manager of Farina, so my work touches almost every part of the business: retail, wholesale, production coordination, delivery logistics, staffing, training, customer experience, and long-term planning.
I think what I specialize in is seeing the whole system. I’m good at understanding how all the moving pieces of a business connect, identifying where things can work better, and creating clearer systems that help both the business and the team succeed. I’m a strategic thinker, but I’m also very hands-on, which is essential in a small business.
I’m most proud of helping Farina grow into a stronger, more organized, and more scalable business. I’ve helped bring clarity to complex operations, strengthen communication across departments, support the growth of our team, and create structure in areas that were changing quickly. I’m also proud that I’ve done that while keeping the employee experience at the center of my leadership.
What sets me apart is the combination of operational strength, creativity, and genuine care that I bring to the work. I’m a fast learner, a strong problem solver, and someone who can figure out almost anything, but I also care deeply about the experience people have at work. I’m acutely aware that people are spending tremendous parts of their lives working on this project with me, and I don’t take that for granted. I find a lot of meaning in creating an environment where people feel respected, supported, and proud of what they’re part of.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
My biggest advice is to stay curious, stay humble, and pay attention to the people you’re learning from. We’re all shaped by the best and worst managers, coworkers, and environments we’ve experienced. Some people teach you what kind of leader you want to become, and some people teach you what you never want to repeat. Both can be valuable.
One thing I wish I understood earlier is that being good at your job doesn’t mean never making mistakes. Mistakes are information. A mistake usually doesn’t mean something is wrong with a person. It often means a system is missing, unclear, or broken. That perspective has made me a much better leader, because instead of looking for blame, I try to look for what needs to be clarified, supported, or improved.
I’d also tell people starting out to take accountability seriously. If you want people to trust you, own your mistakes. Be willing to learn. Ask questions. Tell the truth. Follow through on the small things. Trust is built through a thousand small moments.
And if you end up leading people, remember that clarity is a form of care. Clear expectations, clear communication, and good systems reduce so much unnecessary stress. People generally want to contribute, grow, and feel proud of what they do. A good leader helps create the conditions for that.
More than anything, I’d say: don’t underestimate the value of steadiness, respect, and willingness to learn. You don’t have to know everything when you start. You just have to keep paying attention, keep taking responsibility, and keep building from what you learn.
Pricing:
- French Macaron Gift Box: $38
- Custom cakes: starting at $48
- Signature cupcakes: $5 each
- Marionberry Pop Tart: $6
- Single French Macaron: $3
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.farinabakery.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farinabakery/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-vaitkus
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/farina-bakery-portland
