Founded in 1995 by Helen Russell and Brooke McDonnell, Equator Coffees began in a Corte Madera garage with a tabletop Petroncini roaster and a simple mission: build a coffee company rooted in quality, sustainability, and social responsibility. Their journey started after McDonnell grew frustrated with wholesale suppliers who couldn't—or wouldn't—share details about coffee origins, farmer relationships, or supply chain transparency. This quest for knowledge led them to pioneer direct trade relationships long before the term became industry standard, with McDonnell traveling to Guatemala and Nicaragua in the late '90s to meet farmers directly and understand their cultivation practices. Today, their roasting philosophy emphasizes highlighting each coffee's unique characteristics through careful profile development, while their commitment to ethical sourcing has evolved into concrete actions: becoming California's first B Corp certified roaster in 2011, co-founding Panama's award-winning Finca Sophia farm, and maintaining decades-long relationships with producer cooperatives that ensure farmers receive premium prices for exceptional quality.