SAN RAFAEL, Calif. (KTVU) – A San Rafael-based coffee shop has become the first LGBT company honored as the national Small Business of the Year.
Equator Coffees and Teas was already named the California Small Business Person of the Year Award earlier this year.
And this week, owners Helen Russell and Brooke McDonnell learned that they are also being awarded the title nationally, by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
In a press release, Maria Contreras-Sweet, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration said that she was honored to name Russell and McDonnell as this year’s recipients of the award.
“It all started in 1995 when they started to roast coffee in Brooke’s garage. Equator now has 90 employees and 350 wholesale customers including the renowned French Laundry restaurant, cafes at LinkedIn, micro-kitchens at Google and three retail stores in Northern California with two more on the way,” Contreras-Sweet said.
