There is no shortage of uncertainty left in the ever-expanding wake of COVID-19. For individuals, the mandate is fairly straightforward: unless absolutely necessary, stay home. For essential businesses, though—ones that are allowed to remain open because of their necessary role in serving the public, which coffee companies find themselves a part of—their role is exceedingly more complicated. How can you provide as safe an environment as possible for your staff and customers? How does your business model have to change overnight to adapt to the new to-go only world? How does the disease spread? Can it be on coffee or coffee bags even?
That’s why the National Coffee Association has compiled a list of resources designed specifically for coffee- and food-based businesses. Collating advice from the Center for Disease Control, the Food and Drug Administration, the World Health Organization, the Specialty Coffee Association, and many others, the NCA has created a 14-question FAQ designed to “better protect yourself and your coffee business from this new threat.”
Available in both English and Spanish, the NCA’s FAQ covers a wide range of topic to help those looking for guidance in dealing with the fallout of the coronavirus. From information about the virus to science’s best current understanding to how it is (and isn’t) transmitted to best practices to protect against its spread, the NCA has created a robust resource for all coffee professionals. The guide also includes a list of additional resources from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency on “essential critical infrastructure,” the US Small Business Administration’s “Guidance and Loan Resources,” amongst others.
These are unprecedented times. This resource from the National Coffee Association is invaluable—it’s exactlty the kind of leadership needed by those who work in and around coffee. For more information visit the National Coffee Association’s official website.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.