Here youโll find news on event cancellations, cafe closures, and what the industry is doing to do its part in these unprecedented times. Stay safe yโall, and wipe down your phone.
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8:20 AM PST March 17 2020
๐บ๐ธ USA: SCA Expo in Portland, OR is still on the books for April 21 – 26:
Despite CDC recommendations, @OregonGovBrown today issued orders that only cancel events until April 14, leaving the SCA and our business partners in Portland in legal limbo.
Please watch this short message from our CEO: https://t.co/LgWapj82tH
— Specialty Coffee Association (@SpecialtyCoffee) March 17, 2020
It is inconceivable, @OregonGovBrown and @oregoncc, that the Specialty Coffee Association has not been able to reschedule their April expo in Portland yet.
Coffee people around the country are losing their livelihoods. This is ridiculous.
Let them reschedule.
— Nathanael May (@Radthanael) March 16, 2020
3:30 PM PST March 15th 2020ย
๐ณ๐ฑย The Netherlands have announced closure of all schools, cafes, restaurants and sports clubs, effective Sunday the 15th.
๐ฅ๏ธย The Sustainable Harvest x SCA CEO Yannis Apostolopoulos Zoom webinar has been moved to Thursday, March 19th at 10am PST. Register here.
๐ย Blue Bottle Coffee announced today on Instagram that it will close all 71 of its United States cafes in response to Coronavirus. It becomes the first major US coffee company to announce a brand-wide retail closure.ย
3:30 PM PST March 14 2020
๐ซ๐ท All restaurants, cafรฉs, cinemas and clubs in France will close at midnight.
๐ฎ๐ฑ Israel announces a five-week shutdown of all coffee shops, malls, and restaurants.
๐ช๐ธ Spain imposes a nationwide shutdown.
2:10 PM PST March 14 2020
๐ฅ๏ธย On Monday, March 16thย Thursday, March 19th at 10am PST join Sustainable Harvest online for a live webinar featuring SCA President Yannis Apostolopoulos, co-hosted by SustHarv CEO David Griswold and Chief Coffee Officer Jorge Cuevas. They’ll be discussing the impact Coronavirus will have on upcoming coffee events around the world, including SCA events in Poland, Melbourne and Portland and SustHarv’s MVP event series. This webinar is free, register here via Zoom.
1:35 PM PST March 13, 2020
๐จ The United States declares a National Emergency.
๐ซ New York City’s The Wing spaces will temporarily shut through March.
In an effort to proactively protect our members and employees and help limit the spread of COVID-19, our spaces will be closed through the end of March. During times of uncertainty, community can be a form of self-care. Here's how we'll continue to support one another ๐๐ผ๐๐ฝ๐๐พ๐๐ฟ pic.twitter.com/hidvlsYpzY
— The Wing (@the_wing) March 13, 2020
๐ซ All nineteen of Danny Meyer’s Union Station Hospitality Group NYC restaurants are now closed.
Weโve decided to temporarily close all @USHGNYC restaurants. For those of us whose passion is to bring people together in a spirit of healing, itโs nearly unfathomable to confront the reality that our very purpose could in be a threat to the health & safety of our community. 1/2 https://t.co/Pvn6QyCYlS
— Danny Meyer (@dhmeyer) March 13, 2020
9:16 AM PST March 13, 2020
๐ต๐ฑ SCA announces World of Coffee postponed. “Today, we are announcing an agreement with our partners at PTAK Warsaw Expo to postpone World of Coffee to October 15โ17, 2020, the only dates available in 2020.” Read more.
๐ฆ Portland? “We continue our conversations with our partners at the Oregon Convention Center (OCC) and Travel Portland to review options for postponing Re:co Symposium and the Specialty Coffee Expo. The state of Oregon has canceled public gatherings of over 250 people until April 8. We will continue to share updates on our website as they become available.” Read more.
12:15 PM PST March 12, 2020
๐ธ๐ปย El Salvador imposes a national quarantine prohibiting foreigners from entering for 30 days.
๐จย Effective immediately, Counter Culture Coffee isย temporarily suspendingย all public Tasting @ Ten events and monthly Catalog Cuppings until further notice.
6:27 AM PST March 12, 2020
๐ณ๐ฑ Amsterdam Coffee Festival has been postponed. Originally scheduled to take place this weekend, March 13-15, the event has been pushed back and new dates will be announced soon.
6:30 PM PST March 11, 2020
๐ฆ๐บย Melbourne International Coffee Expo (MICE) postponed until November 3-6, 2020. SCA is waiting for an update from the Oregon Convention Center and Travel Portland re: SCA Expo in Portland, Oregon.
SCA CEO Yannis Apostolopoulos writes:
3:55 PM PST March 11, 2020
๐ดStarbucks Coffeeย among many coffee chains temporarily banning personal cups and many self-serve coffee stationsย are shutting down. California’s Caffe Luxeย announces updated sick pay and ordering policies.
๐งตA wee thread:
I know weโre all tired of hearing/talking about it, but one thing I HAVENโT really seen going around is advice for what happens if you DO get coronavirus (many of us will), only advice for how to try to AVOID it. So as your friendly neighborhood RN, a wee thread:
— smashingteacups (@smasheroteacups) March 11, 2020
๐ฆ “Portland is currently open for business,” – Oregon Convention Center / March 11, 2020
Coffee folks are upset that SCA hasn't canceled the big #CoffeeExpo in April. Yet.
Can we stop and consider what's going on here? Here's a link to the @OregonCC website: https://t.co/y9vcNupF1i pic.twitter.com/cHfvoVga13
— Nick Cho โข ์กฐ๊ทผํ (@NickCho) March 11, 2020
3:00 PM PST March 11, 2020ย
๐ซ๐ทย The Paris Cafe Festival has announced a postponement. Originally set to take place March 20-22, it will now take place June 5-7.
๐ฃ๏ธย Sprudge contributorย and multi-year Sprudgie Award nominee Jenn Chen is asking big questions today on Twitter about the 2020 SCA Expo, still *currently* scheduled for April.
I would love to know what *we* can do- either as attendees or exhibitors- to encourage a move to cancel or postpone. Do you need more voices? Cancelations? If anyone at SCA wants to backchannel me, my DMs are open. https://t.co/JpC8rcQTQV
— Jenn Chen (@thejennchen) March 11, 2020
๐ฃ๏ธย You should watch this video from Manhattan restaurateur Danny Meyer, author of Setting The Table and CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group (whose properties include Joe Coffee Company).
Thereโs no existing playbook for how a restaurant should respond to COVID-19, and so any time thereโs even a trace of doubt about the safety of a team member or guest, you can always rely upon us to act with utmost caution. My message to our staff here: https://t.co/h6syv2XUCA
— Danny Meyer (@dhmeyer) March 11, 2020
2:30 PM PST March 11, 2020
๐จ World Health Organization declares a global pandemic.
๐ทย From the CDC: “Keeping Workplaces, Homes, Schools, or Commercial Establishments Safe” [pdf]
New safety protocols:
Weโre adding to our safety protocols so we can stay healthy while providing you your coffee. pic.twitter.com/lD6XgGLpPG
— Wrecking Ball Coffee (@Wrecking_Ball) March 11, 2020
Upcoming events:
๐ฌ๐ง UK: London Coffee Festival postponed until July 23-26.
๐บ๐ธ USA: SCA Expo in Portland, OR scheduled as planned April 21 – 26
The Specialty Coffee Association Expo in Portland, Oregon expects up to ~14,000 attendees including ~3,600 international attendees next month.
IKAWA announces it will no longer participate at SCA Expo:
With a heavy heart we have reached the decision to postpone our participation at Expo Portland in April. In this case, sharing is not caring – full statement here. https://t.co/U75GzbCqfr
— IKAWA Coffee (@IKAWAcoffee) March 11, 2020
๐ฉ๐ช Germany: German Barista Finals postponed
๐ฆ๐บ Australia: Melbourne International Coffee Expo / World Barista Championship scheduled as planned May 4 – 7
๐ฆ๐ช UAE: Coffee People Dubai postponed.
Closures:
๐ฎ๐น Italy: Ditta Artigianleย announces closures in Florence. Country orders all shops close.
Travel:
๐ฌ๐น Guatemala: EU travelers banned as of March 11, 2020
Have an update for us? Contact us here.
Top image ยฉ Adobe Stock / Angelina Chirkova