ORINDA, CALIFORNIA – There’s great coffee culture here in the 925. But the city’s major shops are pretty much absent here.
That’s strange, as many restaurants that originated in the city are now setting up shop out here in the East Bay. Tony Gemignani’s Slice House, The French Spot Bakery, and many others come to mind.
Now, the trend is starting to happen with coffee, too. One of the city’s best coffee spots just announced that it will soon open a branch in Orinda.
Equator Coffees, the Bay Area specialty coffee roaster with popular San Francisco locations at Fort Mason, SoMa, and the Round House at the Golden Gate Bridge, is coming to Orinda Village as part of the new CreekHaus project at 31 Orinda Way.
CreekHaus says the project is opening this summer in Orinda Village, with Equator Coffees anchoring the daytime experience.
The new development will also feature CreekHaus Beer Garden, PizzaHacker, Bay Area craft beer, live music, seasonal events, and later an upscale bistro, cocktail bar, lounge, and private event spaces.
Equator Has Serious Bay Area Coffee Cred
Equator is not technically a San Francisco-born company — it began in a Marin County garage in 1995 — but it has become one of the city’s most recognizable coffee names. Time Out ranked Equator Coffees No. 2 on its list of the best coffee spots in San Francisco.
The company was founded by Helen Russell and Brooke McDonnell. Equator says it became the first Certified B Corporation coffee roaster in California in 2011, and later won National Small Business of the Year from the Small Business Administration in 2016.
Multiple local cafes, including Oasis Cafe in Lafayette, serve Equator’s coffees. But the East Bay has never had a dedicated Equator outpost.
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Downtown Orinda’s coffee scene has already been changing. Shemroon Cafe recently brought Persian sweets, Turkish coffee, and espresso drinks to Theatre Square, filling part of the gap left when Starbucks closed in downtown Orinda.
Equator’s arrival adds another layer to that shift. Instead of another national chain, Orinda is getting a specialty coffee brand with deep Bay Area roots, a strong following in San Francisco, and a reputation built around sustainability and craft.
We’ll be following this one closely. Make sure to join our free 925 News newsletter so we can update you as Creekhaus and Equator move ahead.
