While Ottawa is often known more for its politicians than pour-overs ,there are a number of incredible specialty coffee roasters that are helping to caffeinate the Canadian capital and grow this incredible industry. One such roaster has been on my radar for quite some time.
And through a few serendipitous moments like running into each other at World of Coffee in San Diego, and then again in the airport before our flights back to Canada it became clear to me that their story was one that needed to be shared! So I reached out to Bailey Cherry (Marketing & Outreach) and she was all-in to see this come to fruition. So without further ado, let me introduce you to Equator Coffee Roasters as our Coffee Roaster of the Month for August!
So great to get the chance to connect with you Bailey! Help our audience get to know you a bit better… What’s your personal backstory in coffee? How did you get started? What keeps you going in coffee?
I started off knowing very little about coffee, and if I am being honest, I didn’t even drink it! After moving to Ottawa from Saskatchewan, I was looking for a job and was introduced to Equator. I applied thinking I likely wouldn’t be considered because of my lack of coffee-related experience, but someone took a chance on me, and that was the beginning of my love for this industry. I started working at one of Equator’s Cafe locations, and I slowly grew to love the beverage and care for the community surrounding it.
I worked as a Barista for about two years, a Cafe manager for another year and a half and then transitioned into the Marketing Manager role I have held for just over 5 years now. This has been such a special transition as I have been able to see a new side of coffee and introduce others to the beverage we all love so much. I keep going because I believe in the mission set out by our owners, and that business done right in the coffee industry can create a positive and lasting impact for those here in Canada, those in the origin countries, and everyone in between.
Before we go much further, share with our readers what you’re drinking/enjoying these days when it comes to coffee!
I am a black coffee drinker through and through. At home, my favourite way to brew is my V60, and then at work I am just a batch brew drinker for convenience! Right now, I am really enjoying our Ethiopia Sidama; this coffee has tasting notes of Blueberry Pie (need I say more – haha). I am a sucker for anything that highlights notes of blueberry or blackberry!
I am always fascinated in the origin story of how a roaster selects their name, so help our readers to get to know the story behind the choice of yours. Why Equator Coffee? Is there a significance or symbolism about this for you?
In 1998, after graduating with a degree in International Development, Craig Hall decided to apply his studies and start a business that aimed to bring more benefit to vulnerable coffee farmers. He had learned about “fair trade coffee” and focused his business on roasting fair trade, organic coffee. His wife Amber joined as a 50% owner shortly after this, and together their passion for people and coffee became the drive for their business. This is where the name was born – to ‘Equate’ the benefit of drinking coffee, not just for the consumer but for all the people along the way, from our staff who pack and serve it, to the farmers who grow it.
So you’ve called the Ottawa area home for more than 20 years as a specialty coffee roaster. What do you love about the coffee community in your home-city? Can you share how it has changed and grown over all these years.
It’s crazy to think about! I believe we are in our 28th year this year! I personally have not been in Ottawa for all of it, but I know from chatting with our owners that things have really changed over the years. We see new cafes popping up all over the place, and the quality, care and craftsmanship in coffee has really gone up overall. Not to mention the direct and fairtrade movements taking more ground! I think that one of my favourite things about the Ottawa coffee scene is the “small town” feel.
There are enough people to allow it to thrive, but there are so many independently owned shops that source to their specific communities – it just feels so homey. I believe that when the coffee scene in a city is thriving, it is good for us all! Ottawa was often known for taking a while to follow coffee trends, so seeing the city come into its own has been very encouraging. It also pushes us to dream bigger and do better internally!
It was great having had the chance to run into you a few times earlier this year when we were down in San Diego for the World of Coffee event. Why was attending that important to you and the team? How important are these types of events for connecting and growing the coffee community?
I know our whole team loved meeting you as well, and I have enjoyed following along on your social media! I have personally been to a few coffee expos/events, and after talking with the team that went to World of Coffee this year, I know we would all say the same thing. These events bring together the greater coffee community and renew our passions. Sometimes in the day-to-day operations, we forget that there is one thing that unites us all – Coffee. Sometimes you just need to refocus, and these events really allow you to do that in a creative, innovative environment.
Equator Coffee is recognized as a Certified B Corp. Can you share what this recognition means and how it impacts all that you do as a company?
Yes! We are a Certified B Corporation, which, by definition, is a rigorous certification process that evaluates a company’s social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. Certified B Corporations are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. If I am being honest, this recognition is just tangible proof of what our goal has been all along – better business in the coffee industry! By holding our BCorp Certification, we are able to continually, tangibly, and transparently measure our success and where we can improve to do business the right way!
I love this line I read on your website “Equator Coffee Roasters was created to connect the coffee farmer to the coffee drinker.” Can you share what are some of the key ways that you are seeking to live this statement out?
Firstly, we, along with 22+ other community-based coffee roasters, are member-owners of Cooperative Coffees, which is a green bean buying co-op and importer. To sum it up, we avoid middlemen to create direct and transparent relationships with the producers. Our contracts with producers reflect Fairtrade principles and standards, plus we pay a Fairtrade premium, an organic premium, a quality premium, and an impact premium to put our money where our mouth is.
By sourcing through Coop, we are able to practically and transparently provide that connection. We also get to visit the farmers we work with through our cooperatives’ yearly visits – something I had the privilege of doing back in 2022 in Peru! The other key way we live this out is through our 10 cents per pound initiative. Equator has pledged since I can remember to donate 10 cents per lb of coffee sold to coffee-related initiatives around the world. This means that the coffee drinker has a direct connection with the producer through every purchase.
Staying on that trend of positive change and doing good work, I see on your site numerous initiatives Equator has partnered with and/or spearheaded over the years. Why is this philanthropic focus so important to you as a company?
The short answer is that from what I have seen, Amber and Craig love people very well, and so it just makes sense that their care for others would be the driving force in all that their business does, both locally and globally! On our website, there is a beautiful quote from one of our producer partners that sums it up:
“WITHOUT LOVE, WE CANNOT ACHIEVE WHAT WE ASPIRE TO, A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE FOR OUR CHILDREN, FOR OUR COLLEAGUES, FOR OUR FRIENDS, OUR ALLIES, OUR CUSTOMERS. WE NEED TO COME TOGETHER ALL AS ONE SINGLE, UNIFIED TEAM. JUST AS WE FIND IN THE UNIVERSE. THERE’S JUST ONE.”
– Freddy Perez, COMSA Cooperative of La Marcala, Honduras, 2019.
Thanks so much for sharing your story! Here’s your chance to say anything else you want to. Go for it. Is there anything else our readers need to know?
Thank YOU for the opportunity to share about our roastery and for caring a whole lot about coffee! If anyone is looking to give our coffee a try they can do so on our website equator.ca . We are able to ship all across Canada and have subscription options for individuals who would like to save on good coffee!
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Contact Info:
web: www.equator.ca
instagram: @equatorcoffee
email: info@equator.ca
Find their beans: If you’re looking to get your hands on some beans then definitely check out their web-store for what they’re currently roasting.
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I just wanted to say a huge thanks again to Bailey and the entire team at Equator for being a huge contributor to the specialty coffee community not only in the Ottawa Region, but across Canada too!
Happy Brewing!
-Tyler
commonly coffee 