Highlights:

May 1, 1986: U.S. customs officials release the first shipment of Nicaraguan coffee from the Port of Boston, and Equal Exchange is born.

1987: Equal Exchange launches our second product, Samusala Tea, the first to be directly imported from producers.

1988: Office of Foreign Assets Control in the U.S. Department of Treasury issues a reinterpretation of the Nicaragua embargo that threatens to make importing "Cafe Nica" illegal. Organic Peruvian, Equal Exchange's first organic product, quickly becomes our top seller.

1989: International Coffee Agreement expires - coffee prices drop from $1.30 to $0.80 per pound.

1990: Equal Exchange formalizes worker-owner co-op structure.