For the last few weeks, we in the coffee industry (as in all industries) have been impacted by the closures brought from the Covid-19 virus. I myself was laid off work on March 16th. Since then, I have been on unemployment and feel extremely grateful and privileged, as I know many people have not been able to receive much assistance. I can't imagine how that can feel, the uncertainty of not knowing when work will return, or how bills will be paid. It makes me wonder more and more how we in the coffee industry can help support each other. I have seen so many people take initiative, and set up programs to help those who are in need or are unable to receive any assistance from the government. Other than purchasing beans, or purchasing drinks for takeaway, I feel there must be a better way to support the coffee industry at large. I also think about the producers and what they may be going through at origin. The coffee industry, even before this pandemic, has been in limbo in regards to fair wages for farmers and workers. We must also understand many of these coffee producing countries are highly affected by poverty and political unrest(amongst many more problems.) It's easy to not think about this when purchasing coffee, and I understand we all are going through tough times but I also believe it is also our duty as a society to be aware and help those in need, especially if we are in an adequate position to do so. All of these thoughts have come after reading a blog post from Sustainable Harvest, a coffee importer here in the US. I will provide the link for anyone wanting more information about how this pandemic is affecting producers. If you have any opinion over this matter, I would love to hear it. Especially any insight on what you believe is the best way for us here, at the end of the supply chain to help and support those in producing countries and also how to best support our local rosters. I will also provide the link the aforementioned blog post below:
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I am finally going to start writing more in this blog. When I started it, I knew that there were not going to be many people reading it, but now I am going to put more of an effort to getting this out into the public. The last time I wrote, I was still working for Campos in SLC, Utah. I became Head Barista at our flagship in SLC and learned a lot from them. I am happy to announce that since then, I have moved to Portland, Oregon. As many close friends know, this has been a city that I have been wanting to live in for a while. I met someone who became a friend of mine while I was at the coffee convention in Boston last April and we remained in contact. After a few months, she offered me a room in her home here and I knew I had to take the chance and chase my dreams of making coffee a real career. When I first came out here 6 years ago, I was very inspired by the coffee culture. I have always looked up to Heart, Coava and Stumptown. I now have been here for 7 months and was working for Case Study Coffee Roasters as a barista, and was more recently going to become the trainer for the company. As many of you may already know, the covid virus has put a halt to many businesses, including the service industry. I have been out of work since the middle part of March. Even though I am not working, I want to make sure I am staying active within the coffee industry in any way I can. Some friends of mine and fellow coffee industry workers in SLC have initiated live sessions on Instagram talking about the state of affairs in regards to how this virus has affected our industry and what may come of it. I am going to try and continue that, and invite friends and colleagues to join me to discuss this and many other topics. I want these to be approachable to anyone who is simply interested in learning more about the coffee industry or even simply how to brew better coffee at home. I will also continue to write more within this blog and continue to document, as that was my plan all along. Thanks for reading!
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