The world is going through a world crisis that did not choose country or race, it has encompassed everything and everyone. In this chaotic scenario, would the solution be focusing on the quality of being here and now and coffee?
Christ the Redeemer illuminated in solidarity with the countries facing the covid19. Image: Reproduction/Twitter/@WalkerViana3
We’re living a unique moment in history in which we’re counting the days without even knowing how many days remain ahead. The only certainty is that change is necessary and sometimes it arrives to call the modus operandi into question, whether in relation to the social-political-economic or personal organization.
We know that we are all in the same boat, but we also know that we do not occupy the same space, for some people the crisis is hitting harder than in others, but the truth is that the current situation has forced us to reinvent ourselves, to think about new ways of living and surviving.
Empathy is the minimum we can feel, if each one of us helps consciously and collaboratively we will go through this together and come off stronger. Dialogue and listening are essential because it’s the way we can exchange information and energy.
Technology is our ally, as it allows us to know what has been happening in our network. In this sense, we promoted a conversation connecting producers, importers, exporters and roasters, where we could feel what each one has been doing and share plans and expectations.
In the specialty coffee market, it is clear that the social distancing directly affects coffee demand, since a substantial share of its consumption happens out of home, so it’s expected a lot of apprehension by the people who work in the specialty coffee chain.
For producers when facing uncertainties producing quality coffee might become a doubt, as it requires a lot of energy, investment of time, and it costs more. Therefore, the conversation with buyers is extremely important, and in the virtual meeting it was clear that other forms of consumption intensified as a reaction to this critical moment.
Online coffee purchases have grown exponentially and, consequently, the consumer tendency and curiosity of searching for more information about the products they are purchasing. They are looking for origin, stories, production methods, sensory and flavour notes, sustainability aspects, etc. According to the report Digital 2020: April Update published by Hootsuite with data from GlobalWebIndex, the Food & Grocery category has seen the greatest increases in ecommerce interest, with a third of internet users have been shopping more for these items online as a result of their country’s COVID-19 lockdowns.
Some roasters and coffee shops have rethought new ways to stay active in business, such as food and drinks to go, delivery and diversification and expansion of products’ mix.
The message absorbed by all of us was that, regardless of the uncertainties, for us coffee is a passion that transcends only the financial, and that producing quality coffee is not in vain. Also producing specialty coffee is something natural to our partner producers.
Bioma Café team in the kick off of 2020’s coffee harvest at @biomacafe instagram
Good coffee will always have its place and the demand for quality and consistent coffee over the years is guaranteed, whether for indoors or outdoors consumption. Let’s keep on reinventing ourselves with strength and hope, as the iconic Brazilian writer Guimarães Rosa said: “what life wants from us is courage.”