5THWAVE - The Business of Coffee and Hospitality14 Elo

People, purpose and product – a conversation with Helen Russell, Equator Coffees

In today’s episode, we're speaking with Helen Russell, Co-Founder and Executive Chair of Californian specialty coffee business Equator Coffees.

With more than 30 years in the coffee industry, Helen has been at the forefront of the US specialty coffee movement and launched Equator Coffees with her business and life partner Brooke McDonnell in 1995. What began as a small garage roastery in the Bay Area has grown into a thriving business with 12 retail locations and a successful wholesale operation.

In this conversation, Helen shares how she and Brooke built a company around the belief that passion and profit can coexist. She also reflects on the importance of community and human connection in coffee, the role of values in building a successful business, and how commercial performance can create opportunities to make a positive impact.

Credits music: "Lighthouse" by Californian artist Haley Fishberger in association with The Coffee Music Project and SEB Collective. Tune into the 5THWAVE Playlist on Spotify for more music from the show

Subscribe to 5THWAVE on Instagram @5thWaveCoffee and tell us what topics you'd like to hear

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(249)

The business case for sustainable coffee equipment – a conversation with Evoca Group

In today’s episode, we speak with Giusi Bonini, Chief Sustainability Officer, and Andrew Barrow, UK Managing Director at Evoca Group.Tracing its heritage back to the 1920s, Evoca Group is a leading ma...

28 Loka 35min

Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood on the next era of specialty coffee

In today’s episode Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood returns to 5THWAVE!Maxwell is the founder of Colonna Coffee, a UK-based specialty coffee brand and roastery. He’s also an author, three-time UK Barista Cham...

12 Loka 33min

The case for reusable packaging

Single-use packaging remains one of the biggest sustainability challenges facing the coffee industry. An estimated 300 to 500 billion single-use coffee cups are produced globally each year, alongside ...

5 Loka 36min

The French art of coffee – a conversation with Belleville Brûlerie

In today's episode, we catch up with David Flynn, President and Co-founder of the iconic Belleville Brûlerie in Paris.Founded in 2013, Belleville is a leading name in France's specialty coffee scene, ...

28 Syys 32min

Raising the bar: a conversation with Patrik Rolf, April Coffee Roasters

In today’s episode, we're catching up with Patrik Rolf, Founder and CEO of Copenhagen-based April Coffee Roasters and its sister project, SP Coffee Shop.Founded in 2016, April is a super-premium speci...

18 Syys 47min

How technology is changing coffee

In today’s episode, we’re exploring how technology and AI is transforming coffee operations, and the importance of creating connected tech ecosystems.What are the commercial benefits of connected equi...

11 Syys 36min

If not now, when? Coffee’s path to a sustainable future

Coffee is facing a defining moment. Climate change, environmental degradation and growing pressure across the value chain are creating unprecedented risks for the future of our industry. Addressing th...

21 Elo 33min