SAN FRANCISCO, CA – June 24, 2021 — As the Bay Area re-emerges & re-assesses what matters most, Equator’s refresh of the historic Round House Cafe will offer a renewed outlook at one of the most historic crossroads in the world. With a spectacular vantage point of the Golden Gate Bridge, the gateway connecting the Pacific Ocean with the San Francisco Bay, the Round House Cafe will soon be Equator Coffees’ newest retail location. As part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, often the most visited site in the National Park system, this Art Deco perch with a near-360 degree view allows visitors to take in everything the Golden Gate Bridge has to offer.
Equator Coffees activated its first national park space in 2017 at the charming, historic Gatehouse at Fort Mason Center which is now Equator’s Fort Mason Cafe. Since then, Equator’s relationship with the National Park Service and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy has evolved around the Parks Conservancy’s mission: to preserve the Golden Gate National Parks, enhance the park visitor experience, and build a community dedicated to conserving the parks for future generations. Visitors may now find Equator Coffee at Fort Mason Center, the Presidio, the newly remodeled Warming Hut at Crissy Field and coming soon at Alcatraz Island.
Operating storefronts immersed within public lands aligns closely with Equator’s reverence for and focus on quality, sustainability and social responsibility. Equator’s 25+ year commitment to partners at every link in the supply chain is recognized by being the first coffee company in California to become B-Corp certified. Equator supports sustainable farming practices, projects that improve the quality of life in local and global communities and was an early adopter of cleaner & more efficient roasting processes, helping to lower emissions and energy use, at their San Rafael, CA roasting facility. Their latest location at the Golden Gate Bridge is a homecoming for Equator, as a heritage brand in the evolution of coffee culture on the West Coast and beyond.
“Making people’s lives better through coffee informs every connection we make, from farmer to roaster to the barista preparing your cup, to you as a consumer and the communities that our cafes inhabit – we call it The Chain of Well-Being,” says Helen Russell, Co-founder of Equator Coffees. “The Golden Gate Bridge represents who we are as a people and as a country – our community coming together to imagine and construct what was thought to be impossible. The Round House Cafe will be a new point of pride for our farmer partners. Locals from across the Bay Area to visitors from across the world will have a chance to savor delicious roasts and flavor profiles in ethically sourced and produced cups of coffee.”
“The Golden Gate Bridge is the span that connects us, and the revitalized Round House is where we’ll meet,” notes Chris Lehnertz, President & CEO, of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. “We are delighted to work with Equator Coffees, an organization that reflects our values of putting people and communities first.”
“Equator Coffees will be a beloved addition to the Golden Gate Bridge Visitor Plaza, which was transformed in 2012 for the Bridge’s 75th anniversary,” said Paolo Cosulich-Schwartz, spokesperson for the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway & Transportation District. “We hope visitors will use this space to meet, learn about the history of the Bay Area’s most iconic landmark, and enjoy their visit to the Bridge with a warming beverage from Equator.”
“We are pleased that Equator Coffees has joined the Parks Conservancy in serving visitors from all over the world during their visit to the Bridge and Golden Gate National Recreation Area,” says Laura Joss, Superintendent of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, National Park Service.
Equator’s brick and mortar cafes are an expression of why the company was originally founded and are built to reflect the culture and needs of the communities they serve. In our cafes, we are always striving to answer the question of how to best build connection between local coffee lovers with coffee communities around the world.
“We will collaborate with the Parks Conservancy, the Bridge District and the National Park Service to create a memorable experience at the Round House where everyone feels welcome – whether you’re a local or visiting California for the first time – to come together over a cup of coffee at the one of most iconic vistas in the world,” says Helen Russell.
About Equator Coffees
Equator is a retail and wholesale coffee roaster & coffee farm owner. An obsessive attention to green coffee sourcing, uncompromising roasting expertise, and a 25+ year commitment to sustainable & fair trade practices creates a remarkable experience in every cup. Equator Founders Helen Russell and Brooke McDonnell began a values-driven path in 1995 roasting coffee in a Marin garage, carving out industry-altering sourcing and roasting practices, and forging new types of partnerships from Michelin starred chefs to specialty grocers to tech campuses. Women-owned, LGBTQ-founded, an early adopter of Fair Trade certification and the first California coffee roaster to achieve B-Corp Certification. For more, watch Equator’s film Chain of Well Being or visit EquatorCoffees.com.
About the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy
Since 1981, the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy has served as the non-profit partner of the National Park Service, collaborating with the Presidio Trust, park partners, donors, and community members to support the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Together, we’ve supported the stewardship of these parklands and most importantly, connected people to parks through exceptional volunteer and educational opportunities. Learn more at www.parksconservancy.org
About the Golden Gate Bridge District
The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District is a special district of the State of California which operates and maintains the Golden Gate Bridge and two unified public transit systems – Golden Gate Transit and Golden Gate Ferry – connecting the counties of Marin, Sonoma, San Francisco, and Contra Costa. www.goldengate.org
About the National Park Service
Golden Gate National Recreation Area, situated in and around San Francisco, is the most visited park in the National Park Service, hosting more than 15 million visitors in 2019. A diverse park with abundant recreational opportunities, as well as natural, cultural, and scenic resources, it encompasses more than 80,000 acres across three counties. The park also administers two other NPS areas, Fort Point National Historic Site, a Civil War era fortress built on the northernmost point of land in San Francisco, and Muir Woods National Monument, which comprises an impressive stand of old growth coastal redwoods in Marin County. www.nps.gov/goga
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Architectural rendering by Sarah Fucinaro
