To our coffee partners, friends, and family,
We realize that everyone is working to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. We also are very aware of the impacts that these measures are having on businesses of all sizes. This affects us all, so we want to offer our support as we navigate this evolving crisis together. Please read on to learn the current status of our COVID-19 response.
Office Operations
We have suspended all in-person visits and meetings and have sent most of our staff home to work remotely. We have had remote work as part of our disaster-preparedness plan for some time. We have been working to roll it out over the last week, so we are well prepared to maintain all of our business operations, even without staff working in a centralized location. We are currently well stocked with spot inventory of core and fancy coffees.
Because we are reliant on the entire global supply chain, we are actively communicating with our partners (trucking companies, warehouses, shipping lines, and producers) to monitor any changes to the situation. We will keep you updated by email and our social media channels.
The current status is:
• There are no changes to our order deadlines or other operations.
• No closure plans at any of our warehouses.
• Some Seattle terminals have reduced their hours due to lower incoming volume, so there may be some minor delays between port and arrival at The Green Room.
Sourcing Trips
Knowing that Seattle was at the heart of the initial outbreak in the US, we made the difficult decision two weeks ago to postpone our yearly visits to several of our producer partners in Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua to minimize the risks to our team and the people in communities not yet impacted. We are currently working on ways to recreate some version of the cherished cupping competitions that are the core of these visits, and we will keep buyers of these lots updated on these plans.
Although we cannot visit you in person, we want to keep in touch and work through this time with you. Keep us posted on how things are going for your business and how we can help! Our team is reaching out to our clients to check in about impacts to your businesses and will do so on an ongoing basis.
We will continue to send out updates via our weekly newsletter and social media channels, so please subscribe and follow along to receive timely information from us. We wish you good health and resiliency!
Craig Holt, Atlas Founder