At the Helix Mastermind Winter 2026 conference hosted at Cavallo Point Lodge in February, Marin Magazine had the honor of talking to three local entrepreneurs who care as much about the planet (and people) as making a profit.
Here’s what Helen Russell of Equator Coffees had to say about her brand’s commitment to sustainability.
Tell us about a time you might have compromised your values or ethics, and if that taught you a lesson?
Working in coffee changes you. I don’t understand how someone can visit a coffee farm and think about paying the farmers less. I also think it’s criminal when a CEO gets on a private plane and their employees don’t have healthcare. Some things I’ll never compromise on.
I might make some quality concessions, like selling ground coffee. This might not seem like a big deal to us in this room. People want ground coffee, right? Hotels and restaurants and home consumers want ground coffee. But you talk to the professional cuppers and the coffee snobs of the world, and they can’t believe we sell ground coffee.
Did you ever have to learn something twice?
It’s such a pet peeve of mine to do anything twice, but I guess my head goes to learning to stay flexible/pivoting and growing. For example, we lost our biggest wholesale account and that moved us to open our own cafes. The pandemic shutdown gutted our office business (we still haven’t come back 100%), and pushed us to focus on direct to consumer subscribers and grocery.
Where did your commitment for the planet come from?
I live here! I can’t believe we have businesses where they aren’t focused on protecting the planet. I sell an agricultural product, one that is very vulnerable to climate change. Environmental sustainability has to be front and center for me. I don’t understand how businesses can not focus on this. What is their long term plan?
How do you hire your team and make sure you all have the same goals?
In the beginning when there were like 20 people, I used to ask myself, “would I give this person a key to my house?” That’s how seriously I felt about protecting what we were building.
Once we grew, we pushed forward our B-corp status. That was an easy way for people to really understand our commitment. Sustainable business is our tribe. We’ve always been focused on it and that’s what’s brought the right people to us. For our cafe employees we always hire for kindness. We know how to teach, how to make excellent coffee and our managers have our mission on lock. We want to attract people to our team who view the world as a good and kind place.
What does sustainability actually mean in your day-to-day decision-making?
It’s everything!! We are a B-corp and make every decision with a triple bottom line lens: People, Planet and Profit. We have to satisfy all three. When you are a purpose- driven brand you are going to have a very different EBITDA than other brands, but we strongly believe in the longevity of holistic sustainability.
Has the current administration brought any specific challenges or opportunities?
Well, I’m a queer business owner with a very diverse team. Right now we are all about protecting people. My people are scared, and it’s up to us to be a refuge. I have people watching ICE terrorize their communities. I have people who’ve moved from Texas and Florida because they no longer feel safe. Coffee was subjected to up to 50% tariffs and our packaging comes from Asia. All challenges. I guess the opportunity here is to be a beacon of hope and light and sustainability. We are here to stay, and we’re not going anywhere.
Can you point to an individual in your life who guided you in the early days?
Wayne Dyer? My partner Brooke. She never compromised on quality or doing good in the world.
At what point did you realize, your company was not only cool, but monetarily supporting a large community/staff. Did you do anything differently?
The change for us was when we opened our own cafes. That really increased our staff and our community impact. It’s a big responsibility, not only to everyone working for us but to the neighborhoods that allow us to be a part of their lives.
What are you most proud of in your career?
That we are still relevant! 30+ years in and folks still look up to us. We stay relevant by embracing being a multigenerational company and listening to the voices of everyone at the table.