Equator Coffees, LLC
California, United States
December 2011
Food products
Manufacturing
United States
Equator Coffees is a women-owned, green-certified coffee roaster based in Marin, CA. Founded in 1995 by Brooke McDonnell and Helen Russell, Equator's commitment to a sustainable, transparent approach spans three decades. Equator’s unwavering pursuit of quality leads to socially and environmentally responsible business decisions that ensure a steady supply of quality coffee into the future. Equator was one of the first truly boutique wholesale coffee roasters in the San Francisco Bay Area. Over the past 24 years, Equator's careful attention to quality, deep and mutually beneficial relationships with their global farm partners, and unparalleled dedication to high-touch customer service. Equator was the first roaster in the Bay Area to sign onto the Fair Trade Certified program. Additionally, Equator in collaboration with Boot Coffee owns and operates a coffee farm, Finca Sophia, in Panama. Today, Equator operates several cafes in the San Francisco Bay Area. In 2016, the U.S. Small Business Administration honored Equator by naming them the "National Small Business of the Year," the first certified LGBTQ owned business to receive this honor.
Overall B Impact Score
Governance 14.6
Governance evaluates a company's overall mission, engagement around its social/environmental impact, ethics, and transparency. This section also evaluates the ability of a company to protect their mission and formally consider stakeholders in decision making through their corporate structure (e.g. benefit corporation) or corporate governing documents.
What is this? A company with an Impact Business Model is intentionally designed to create a specific positive outcome for one of its stakeholders - such as workers, community, environment, or customers.
Workers 19.1
Workers evaluates a company’s contributions to its employees’ financial security, health & safety, wellness, career development, and engagement & satisfaction. In addition, this section recognizes business models designed to benefit workers, such as companies that are at least 40% owned by non-executive employees and those that have workforce development programs to support individuals with barriers to employment.
Community 28.2
Community evaluates a company’s engagement with and impact on the communities in which it operates, hires from, and sources from. Topics include diversity, equity & inclusion, economic impact, civic engagement, charitable giving, and supply chain management. In addition, this section recognizes business models that are designed to address specific community-oriented problems, such as poverty alleviation through fair trade sourcing or distribution via microenterprises, producer cooperative models, locally focused economic development, and formal charitable giving commitments.
What is this? A company with an Impact Business Model is intentionally designed to create a specific positive outcome for one of its stakeholders - such as workers, community, environment, or customers.
Environment 19.8
Environment evaluates a company’s overall environmental management practices as well as its impact on the air, climate, water, land, and biodiversity. This includes the direct impact of a company’s operations and, when applicable its supply chain and distribution channels. This section also recognizes companies with environmentally innovative production processes and those that sell products or services that have a positive environmental impact. Some examples might include products and services that create renewable energy, reduce consumption or waste, conserve land or wildlife, provide less toxic alternatives to the market, or educate people about environmental problems.
What is this? A company with an Impact Business Model is intentionally designed to create a specific positive outcome for one of its stakeholders - such as workers, community, environment, or customers.
Customers 3.4
Customers evaluates a company’s stewardship of its customers through the quality of its products and services, ethical marketing, data privacy and security, and feedback channels. In addition, this section recognizes products or services that are designed to address a particular social problem for or through its customers, such as health or educational products, arts & media products, serving underserved customers/clients, and services that improve the social impact of other businesses or organizations.