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SAN FRANCISCO – The San Francisco District Office of the U.S. Small Business
Administration is honoring Equator Coffees and Teas as the 2016 Small Business of the Year for
the state of California.
San Rafael, CA-based Equator Coffees and Teas is a high-impact coffee company focused on
quality, sustainability and social responsibility. An LGBT-owned business founded twenty years
ago by Helen Russell and Brooke McDonnell, Equator Coffees and Teas is involved with their
product at every step of the lifecycle from farming to roasting, and from wholesale to retail.
“It is such an incredible honor to be recognized by the Small Business Administration (SBA) as
Small Business of the Year for the State of California,” said Helen M. Russell Co-founder and
CEO of Equator Coffees and Teas. “As an entrepreneur, women-owned business, and LGBT
certified business, I am proud to say that the SBA has been there for Equator at all stages of our
growth over the last 21 years. The SBA knows that it’s small businesses like Equator that are
creating quality jobs and driving our economy. The SBA has had our back at important
milestones in our evolution. We celebrate this achievement with our employees, our partners and our collective communities”.