Our guest artist and friends (pictured above) enjoying some single-origin cold brew coffees at the Equiano Coffee tasting room during the Whiteaker neighborhood’s “last Friday art walk”.

The seeds of Equiano Coffee’s employee and café culture are cultivated by the dynamic husband & wife duo of Okon and Gloria Udosenata, long-time residents and business owners in the neighborhood. “We wanted to create a space to showcase our finest small farm, single varietal coffees. Our aim is to make specialty coffee both exciting and approachable to the everyday coffee drinker.” -Okon Udosenata

Unique and fun events like this Marigold Pie Popup (above) and entertainment acts on the back patio under the Mimosa tree (below) are popular neighborhood attractions. from beautiful floral arrangements, fine pastries, and chocolates -to- outdoor garden & seating, there are always plenty of delightful discoveries to enjoy at the tasting room. Follow Equiano Coffee on Facebook to learn about upcoming events at the tasting room and on the patio under the Mimosa tree.

Vanilla Jill’s Soups & Scoops shares the back patio & stage with the tasting room which makes for some delicious ice cream & espresso collaborations. Bring a scoop of ice cream or milkshake over from Vanilla Jill’s and have your friendly Barista add a shot of espresso for an Affogato or espresso milkshake!

The tasting room isn’t just a family affair, this little coffee boutique is staffed with Gloria & Okon’s friends. And yes, their eldest son, 10-year-old Diego has been known to don an apron and is one heck of a gracious host to any & all visitors that wander in.

The Udosenata’s live in the neighborhood, literally two blocks from the tasting room and the whole family enjoys having friends over to enjoy good food, a beautiful garden and relaxing summer vibes. Below Okon is pictured with a few of his & Gloria’s Barista friends from the tasting room. “Culture is both rooted in and spurred on by meaningful relationship.. belonging, having the opportunity to contribute and feeling valued.”

One of the things you won’t be able to help but to notice when visiting Equiano is the wonderful floral arrangements that adorn the counter and tables inside and out. And the beauty of the whole thing isn’t lost on the guests. I get to work the bar as Barista every now and again and I get to see new guests charmed and delighted by the sights & smells when they first walk through the doors and experience tasting room.

More than uniquely delicious coffees and more than just subway tiles and beautiful flowers. When regular guests of Equiano think about the brand, It would be hard to do so without thoughts of the fun & refreshing vinyl album collection and the smooth vibes that come from playing only vinyl and cassette tape musical treasures. You won’t hear any digital music at the tasting room.

As an occasional Barista/DJ at the tasting room over the past year, I can still find something special hiding in the record collection that I’ve never been exposed to before or at the very least I’m sure to find a forgotten favorite from the ’80s or ’90s that I can throw on the turntable to the delight of myself and our guests.

While there are many elements that inspire, shape and drive café culture and company culture, from the kinds and quality of the products offered and the aesthetics of the interior design -to- the people you hire and the neighborhood or area the business is located, all these myriad elements of the branding and culture puzzle all come down to the quality of personal experience and the depth of meaning we attach to it.

When was the last time you were truly delighted, maybe even moved by your experience with a business and its people? If you’ve been to visit us at the Equiano Coffee tasting room, we’d love to hear from you about your experience, whether you come back and share your thoughts in person, leave a review on Yelp or connect with us on our Facebook page, it’s “people” that is at the heart of Equiano’s culture.