Ten years ago when we were preparing to open Mission Pie, we visited two local coffee roasters to choose a coffee partner for Mission Pie. We tasted their coffees and discussed our shared company values and priorities. We were so impressed with the dedication and coffees of each company, and it was hard to choose one over the other, and in November of 2006 we chose to buy from Taylor Maid Farms. Some of the things we have valued about Taylor Maid Farms during the decade we have worked together are their fundamental and influential dedication to organic production in specialty coffee and their history of technical support in the field, their early adoption of energy-efficient roasting equipment, and their promotion of the refillable coffee can as eco-packaging. We heartily embraced the retail can and attached a discount to the refill deep enough to be a true reward for re-use.
Despite these assets, we knew that in not choosing Equator Coffees and Teas we were passing up working with a genius of a woman roaster (a rarity in a heavily male dominated field) who was roasting delicious coffees and co-leading a women-owned company with and ambitious economic and social justice agenda. It was a hard to choose between two brands that each resonated so much with Mission Pie’s values.
Anticipating the 10th birthday for Mission Pie on January 3, 2017 gave us occasion to reflect and evaluate the decade and consider our path forward, and motivated us to gift Mission Pie with something that would be new and shiny and at the same time be an affirmation of the business’ values. Choosing to source our coffees from Equator is just that, and we are very excited to begin serving Equator coffees as we head into our second decade!
