COVID-19. Observations from a Strange Time.

At the time of writing this, the 31st of March 2020, Australia finds itself in the middle of a confusion around what it should and shouldn’t be doing with regards to Covid-19. Which businesses should and shouldn’t remain open?. Which business is deemed to be essential and which isn’t? To add to this confusion, when the various governments (State and Federal) make any announcements to outline any new measures to be enforced, the country stops, collectively holding it’s breath, waiting to hear of any news. Things are unclear and public sentiment towards a solution varies widely from a total lockdown to a ‘lets get on with it’ ideology and everything in between. There is definitely a sense of unease amongst businesses and individuals and it looks like, at this stage at least, there is no end in sight to this pandemic. One thing is certain though, the terms ‘social distancing’ ‘flattening the curve’ and ‘self isolation’ now have their roots firmly set into this corner of time at the beginning of 2020. 

Can I say from the outset, contained with-in are my observations only, as both the owner of a retail coffee shop as well as the owner of a coffee roasting wholesale business. I offer no solutions and I offer no opinions. This article is a self indulgent reflection on the last few weeks or so in my life as a coffee professional. 

The beginning of March sees Darks compete in the annual, Australian International Coffee Awards (AICA) program conducted by the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria (RASV) We’ve submitted coffees into this competition every year since we’ve existed and have won over 25 medals and trophies in that time. We take the AICA seriously and for us, it allows us to benchmark ourselves against the best coffees in the world. Though I usually attend, I was unable to this year due to other circumstances. Nevertheless, the awards were held and the winners announced but not without some logistical and organisational stressors first. As the awards are International in their design, coffees from overseas make up a large portion of those being exhibited. The AICA usually has very strict entry cutoff times and delivery deadlines and these were relaxed just a little this year to accomodate for foreign exhibitors shipping times due to Covid-19. For me, this was the first sign of coronavirus having an impact on my life and the lives of others within the coffee industry. Everyone was talking about coronavirus. Everyone was starting to ask questions. Fast forward a week and the impact Covid-19 is having on the community is appearing larger and larger by the day. The annual Formula 1 season opener in Melbourne was canceled on the morning the weekend’s activities were to begin leaving tens of thousands of people to simply turn and walk away. Rules around social gatherings and the density of people attending events was becoming more and more of a concern. Some listened and stayed at home, others didn’t and congregated anyway. This was thrust into the public eye more greatly with the start of the football codes in Australia. The NRL and the AFL were to start their respective seasons in the middle of March, each, a week apart and, after much conjecture and concern they did. The NRL lasted 2 rounds, the first in front of stadiums full of people and the second behind closed doors. The AFL played one round behind closed doors before abandoning their year. Both codes have suspended their seasons indefinitely but are hopeful of a return later in the year. 

It was around this time that we at Darks, and the vast majority of our cafe owning colleagues, decided to ban the use of all reusable cups. We chose the health and safety of our staff members and customers first and this change was the first of many to come. Initially, the move was widely applauded but there were a few people who thought it was a knee-jerk reaction to a trivial matter. Things would change rapidly though. On Saturday 21st of March, photos appeared of a packed Bondi Beach, seemingly full of people flouting the message of social distancing. 1.5m around an individual was the recommended distance to help stop the communication of coronavirus and here, Bondi was packed full! It was from this point that the restrictions on businesses would change in a way we’ve never seen before. The N.S.W Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, and other state Premiers, made the stunning announcement that they'd enter their states into stage 1 restrictions, the details of which would be announced by the PM, Scott Morrison on Sunday 22nd. The air of unease that was felt through the community was palpable and my phone was running hot with customers asking what was happening? What was Darks going to do and what should they do? Speculation would soon become reality with the PM announcing a raft of measures to help stop the spread of coronavirus. These measures were vast and included the shut down, effective midday Monday 23rd, of entertainment venues, cinemas, night clubs and pubs amongst others. Restaurants and cafes, at this stage at least, could continue to trade in a take away only capacity and could also offer a home delivery service if they were able to do so. People were scrambling. Social media lit up with posts on what it meant to their own businesses. Our wholesale partners in the hotel and restaurant industries looked to be the ones most greatly affected by these announcements with both having to close their doors. The hoteliers we deal with are trying their best to offer what they can in terms of a take away menu but it’s trying times. Our restaurant partners, many of whom are in the Hunter Valley wine tourism area have simply had to shut totally until further notice. There are so many unanswered questions and seemingly no end in sight. Our wholesale family of cafes and coffee shops is still trading to service the communities they've worked so hard to supply over the years. Though even this on a day to day basis for many of them such is the fluidity of the situation. Some cafes trialled the takeaway only option but found it uneconomical and decided it best to close until the storm had passed. Most have had their trading hours readjusted and staff have been let go. That is always a difficult thing to do but considering the prospect of finding another job to move to at this time is almost impossible, the move to dry up staff hours results in almost certain unemployment. It’s hard to see a return to normality anytime soon but there is a positive mindset for most in this time of uncertainty. The hospitality industry is full of amazingly talented, generous, diligent and professional people and every one of our wholesale partners is just that. Professionals who have battened down the hatches and are waiting out the storm. We’re in this together and we will get through this together. There will be an end to this eventually. 

As the situation sits today, at time of writing, there are 4359 confirmed Covid-19 cases in Australian and 18, Covid-19 related deaths. An on the spot fine of $1000 for individuals and $10000 for businesses caught disobeying the social distancing rules of 1.5m between people applys. Wherever you can still get a take away coffee from has painted crosses or taped lines spaced at 1.5m intervals in their ordering area. Cafe seating has been removed and makeshift take away windows have appeared in places I didn’t think possible. Where there’s a will, there’s a way, I guess. The majority of coffee shops are now cashless and many are suggesting using apps like HeyYou to pre order and pay online, limiting face to face ordering. 

Hand sanitiser is on every bench top and every item that is being touched by staff or customers at these venues is being thoroughly disinfected after each use. By and large, these changes are being accepted by the community. The message is getting through it seems. We’ve come a long way from the decision to ban keep cups and it’s only been a week! 

So, perhaps coffee is perceived as an essential service after all, or perhaps it’s perceived as essential for the people working in essential services. Who knows what the next week will bring? Whatever it is, the lights are always on at Darks. 

Adam.