Equator Coffees Opens Second Southern California Cafe, Plans More

The new Equator Coffees in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles. All images courtesy of Equator Coffees.

Exactly 10 years and one month after opening its first coffee shop, California-born roasting company Equator Coffees opened its 10th shop last week.

In Los Angeles’s Fairfax district, the new shop is also the company’s second in Southern California, following the opening of a Culver City outpost last March.

The B Corp company, which was named the SBA’s Small Business of the Year in 2016 and Roast magazine’s Roaster of the Year in 2010, says it has plans to open five additional Southern California stores.

Equator Fairfax.

Designed in collaboration with Los Angeles-based The Studio For, the new 860-square-foot Fairfax location is awash in Equator’s signature red and black palette. The shop’s dining area can accommodate 14 guests, with furniture made by local craftspeople as well as custom murals by Los Angeles street artist Corie Mattie. The rear of the shop can open to an outdoor patio with seating for an additional 20 guests.

Coffee drink offerings in Fairfax are supported by Mahlkönig E65 and E80 grind-by-weight grinders alongside a La Marzocco KB90 espresso machine.

The Fairfax menu includes Equator’s core namesake and Tigerwalk espresso blends, single-origin pourovers and rotating seasonal beverages. Options in the latter category currently include a blackberry cream cold brew and “The Habibi,” an espresso-and-milk drink with orange blossom water, cardamom, clove and vanilla syrup. The shop also offers breakfast entrees, toasts, sandwiches and salads.

Ten percent of sales from the shop’s opening week are being donated to the Los Angeles LGBT Center.

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