Equator Coffee Company
VerifiedEugene, Oregon
Est. 1991
Light RoastMedium Roast
About
Equator Coffee Company has been roasting in Eugene, Oregon since 1991. Greg Roberts roasts to order in small batches on a Sivetz fluid bed machine, sells organic and single origin coffee by the pound on a deliberately slim margin, and ships the same day it is roasted.
Our Story
Greg Roberts was already 42 when he started Equator. Before that he hitchhiked through Mexico and spent a year in the Peruvian jungle, wrote for Fly Fisherman, Outdoor Life and Sports Afield, tied flies professionally, and played violin in jazz and country bands. In 1987 a fishing tackle company sent him to Guatemala to revive a women's fly tying cooperative, and his contact in Huehuetenango kept telling him he should be exporting the coffee too. In 1989 he took a sales job with a large Northwest roaster and lost it when the company was sold and gutted. So he set out on his own. In 1991, on a shoestring budget, he bought half a dozen bags of coffee and an electric roaster that could turn out five pounds in fifteen minutes. Demand outgrew it within months and he moved to a propane fired quarter bag machine. Most of the profit went straight back into green coffee and there was nothing left for advertising, so even the logo was borrowed from the public domain: a 1935 Colombian airmail stamp. All coffee grows close to the equator, and Greg had spent his time in the tropics, which is where the name came from. Equator still roasts on Eugene's industrial west side, in a warehouse full of green coffee and nothing fancy. The machines are Sivetz fluid bed roasters, built forty miles up the road in Corvallis. A blast of hot air suspends the beans and scours out the chaff and dust, which costs a little more weight loss than other roasters and is judged worth it. A batch tops out at 33 pounds, which suits a shop that roasts to order and clears its whole inventory of roasted coffee every day. The philosophy page puts it plainly. Everything is secondary to the cup on your table. The coffee sells on a slim margin so it moves off the shelf fresh, rather than sitting there for months at nineteen dollars a pound. And good coffee is a tradition that does not need a new gimmick every week.
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Coffees
Light
Breakfast Blend Organic
Attention light roast fans. A bright but never sour blend of Timor, Costa Rica and Mexico that keeps each bean's natural character. Full bodied and smooth.
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Dark
Cafe Quetzal Organic
One of our darker roasts. A rich blend of organic Central American coffees from Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras, named for the drink of the gods in Moctezuma's time.
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Med-Dark
Casablanca
A Mocha Java in the classic style, uniting African and East Indies beans and enriched with Equator's deep French roast. The perfect dark and medium cup.
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MediumColombia
Colombia Organic
Huila
Washed process
pomelomelontoasted wheatcocoa
Organic Huila from the ASOBOMBO association in Pitalito, where each producer runs their own micro-mill. Smooth and honeyed with balanced acidity. Roasted medium.
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MediumCosta Rica
Costa Rica Organic
Hacienda La Amistad
Washed process
applewalnutcaramel
Organic Amistad SHB EP from the Montero family's Hacienda La Amistad, grown in volcanic loam and fully washed. Apple, walnut and caramel. Roasted medium.
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Medium
Espresso Decaf Organic
Mountain Water process
Mexican, Indonesian and Ethiopian organics decaffeinated with Royal Coffee's Mountain Water process, blended into a balanced, rich cup. Roasted medium.
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Medium
Espresso Organic
Estates in six countries make up this organic, complex blend, good for espresso and for brewed coffee too. Roasted medium to keep each origin's flavor profile.
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MediumEthiopia
Ethiopia Sidama Organic
Sidama
Natural process
apricotorangeapplenougatdark chocolatefloral
Organic beans from Sidama, grown on tiny family farms organized around the Oromia cooperatives and even picked in the wild. Complex, floral and juicy. Roasted medium.
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Medium
Firebird Blend Organic
Honed by roasters who live and work in Oregon weather. Bright Central American and rich Indonesian coffees for braving the elements. Roasted medium.
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Dark
French Roast Organic
Our darkest roast and best seller. Top grade arabica from five Latin American estates, based on the classic French roast created in old New Orleans.
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MediumGuatemala
Guatemala Organic
Huehuetenango
almondpecanpralinechocolatespice
Organic Huehuetenango from ASOBAGRI, a 1400 member cooperative of small farms with their own micro-mills. Full bodied and complex with a bit of spice. Roasted medium.
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Dark
Italian Roast Organic
chocolateblack currant
High density SHG beans from Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico and Indonesia stand up to a longer, darker roast. Full flavored and smoky but never charred.
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Location
134 Grimes St STE 3, Eugene, OR 97402, USA
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