May 6: The Impact of Covid-19 at origin

We are all staring into the crystal ball, trying to predict how our industry will look in the aftermath of the curfews and lock downs. It’s also crucial to know what is happening at origin, and how it might impact prices and volumes in the coming months.

Read our origin updates, and recommendations for planning in these uncertain times.

May 5: The impact of COVID-19 survey results

Our recent survey into how the restrictions in place to contain Covid-19 have affected our customers paints a diverse picture. There isn’t a single experience. The full impact of Covid-19 depends on your country, your city, your business model and how you have been able to pivot, if at all. 

See the results of the survey.

April 17: Tell us how your business is adapting

Covid-19 and the measures to contain it are affecting us all. We want to know how we can help you and the wider industry survive this crisis and get back to the great work of sourcing, roasting and serving exceptional coffee. We would be grateful if you could take this short survey.

Take the survey here.

March 25: Mainfreight delays

Hello roasters in Europe. We just received word from Mainfreight, our shipping company in Europe. They are still delivering to all countries, however there may be some delays. Additional border controls and health checks for both drivers and cargo mean it might take a little longer to deliver your coffee.

So far we have not heard of any issues with Bring, the shipping company we use for Scandinavian countries. We will let you know the moment we hear anything.

You can see the border points most affected by delays on this map.

March 24: Still operating during Covid-19 restrictions?

These are hard times for our community and many businesses have no option but to close for the time being.

But many of you are still operating, finding new ways to sell coffee, supporting your own communities and adapting to this ever-changing world we find ourselves in.

So… 
If you are able to leave your homes to roast.

If you have a web shop where your customers can find coffee.

If you have a project to support your wholesale customers.

If you have a take-away pop-up.

If you have an innovative way to continue selling coffee.

Let us know. We will shout it out to our digital community and send you a big virtual elbow bump.

And check out our customers who are #stillroasting

We are in awe of your commitment, innovation, imagination and dedication.

💪 (that’s an elbow bump btw)

March 15: We are still working to deliver great coffees

We know that the COVID-19 outbreak has affected many of you already, while others wait to know what the full impact will be. These are uncertain times for everyone in the specialty coffee community. 

I’m writing to let you know that our commitment remains. We continue to do everything possible to provide you with the best coffees, and to support our partners at origin, especially those harvesting, processing and shipping coffees right now. 

Our sales representatives and buyers are ready to jump on a call at any moment to discuss how we can help your business adapt in the coming weeks. We are here and ready to work with you, just give us a call or drop us an email.


Our current operations

We are adhering to all recommendations and taking additional steps to ensure our team is healthy and able to continue their work. 

Rest assured that the Nordic Approach team is at full capacity. Most of the Oslo team are working from home for now, while the lab is still up and running, receiving and sending samples. QC continues daily, with strict new cupping protocols including indirect, individual cuppings to protect our team members. Our North America team continues business as usual, with Jordan in New York and Pat in Montreal.

Sales and logistics continue without any unusual delays. We will inform you immediately if this changes. 

Shipments of coffees from origins continue on schedule. 


Sourcing

We continue to plan our buying according to the coffee lifecycle, which as you know, is an annual thing. We are working to ensure we can fulfill your needs throughout this year, and we are also thinking about our producers who need our support. We don’t want them to lose their window to sell and ship fresh coffees which could result in a devastating financial loss. 
 

Samples and cupping

Most industry events and public cuppings are cancelled, but this doesn’t mean our industry grinds to a halt. We are working with our partners, suppliers and warehouses to get more sample material, and the lab team is busy dispatching those samples so you can make buying decisions as usual.


Current and incoming coffees

We have some great coffees in stock in Seabridge in Belgium and Continental in New Jersey, as well as coffees on their way from Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya. So far we haven’t experienced any delays. 

Keep us in the loop

We are hopeful this will pass in a few months, and it is not our habit to panic. Specialty coffee relies on a global network of passionate professionals and we know that if we work together, we will be stronger as a community. We are still planning for a solid future and we’re here to help you plan yours. So get in touch.