Juan Escareño

Field Director, Potlikker Capital

Juan Escareño has been involved in all aspects of the food retail industry throughout his life. Beginning with his parent’s ethnic grocery stores in the western suburbs of Chicago and then as a community organizer for the Gamaliel Network. He began organizing on the southside of Chicago before moving to Detroit over 16 years ago. Juan worked to create a non-profit produce store on the eastside of Detroit to serve residents living in food deserts. He joined a local retail trade union as an organizer for retail workers, eventually becoming an Executive Vice President. Juan joined the Midwest Independent Retailers Association (MIRA) as the Government and Community Relations Director. He was also appointed to Michigan Governor Whitmer’s Food Security Council in 2020.

Juan joined the Potlikker Capital team in 2022 as the Field Director working with Black, Latino, and farmers of color to create reparative capital through policy change and action. Juan currently resides in rural Eastern Oklahoma with his family, working to bring just financial models to farmers and ranchers of color in the United States.