5THWAVE - The Business of Coffee and Hospitality
Aug 14, 2026 · 42 min · 11 segments
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…
Geoffrey YoungHostThat was before James had thought about putting that little cart in the garage there.
And I remember when, well, we'll fast forward to talk about Jerry Baldwin later in the podcast, who was the president of pizza at that time.
I was selling voice and data network, right? So if you can sell voice and data networks, you can't taste it.
Traveling to the farmer's gate, meeting the folks that are growing the coffee, understanding how it gets here to the U.S., And, you know, Brooke had this little tabletop Petrucini roaster when we first started in the garage and getting all these single origins from all over the world.
And it was just like when you walked into the garage, it was like having this world journey at your feet.
And it was really what has become, you know, what became at the time, as you know, is the third wave coffee movement.
You remember, you know, Intelligentsia always talked about, like, you know, Jeff Watts.
He was at the gate long before we got there, and Brooke was right behind him when she went to Guatemala.
And at that time, you know, especially coffee was relatively a small industry.
And we entered it, really, You know, with a simple belief, coffee could be a force for good if it was sourced, roasted, and served with integrity.
That was before James had thought about putting that little cart in the garage there.
And I remember when, well, we'll fast forward to talk about Jerry Baldwin later in the podcast, who was the president of pizza at that time.
I was selling voice and data network, right? So if you can sell voice and data networks, you can't taste it.
Traveling to the farmer's gate, meeting the folks that are growing the coffee, understanding how it gets here to the U.S., And, you know, Brooke had this little tabletop Petrucini roaster when we first started in the garage and getting all these single origins from all over the world.
And it was just like when you walked into the garage, it was like having this world journey at your feet.
And it was really what has become, you know, what became at the time, as you know, is the third wave coffee movement.
You remember, you know, Intelligentsia always talked about, like, you know, Jeff Watts.
He was at the gate long before we got there, and Brooke was right behind him when she went to Guatemala.
And at that time, you know, especially coffee was relatively a small industry.
And we entered it, really, You know, with a simple belief, coffee could be a force for good if it was sourced, roasted, and served with integrity.
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