Friends, colleagues, coffee people: 

The past few weeks have been tense and seemingly unpredictable for most of us, and we know that everyone in our community has been forced to make difficult decisions in order to stay safe, healthy, and optimistic. We understand that as roasteries and café operators, this is going to be a particularly trying time.
 
This seems to be a constantly changing landscape, but we wanted to share our updates with you of what we know right now: 
 
  • First and foremost – we are open and doing business as normal. We have seen no slowing of the flow of coffees into Minneapolis. If we hear of any major export or import port delays, we will communicate the information to you as soon as possible.
 
  • For the health and safety of our staff worldwide, as well as their families, friends, and associates, the Cafe Imports team will not be participating in any domestic or international events. All travel (including sourcing travel) has been temporarily ceased, and we will conduct the majority of our work via e-mail, phone, Skype, and WhatsApp until further notice. 
 
  • We have proactively taken steps within each of our departments to support social distancing and limit exposure within our office. So far, there has been no need to halt operations in any way that would interfere with order fulfillment, and you’ll still always be connected with a human voice when you call us on the phone: We’re still working for you and for coffee, and we’ll let you know if that needs to change at any point.  
 
  • Our warehouse staff is taking extra precautions to ensure your coffee is wrapped, strapped, and shipped safely, with minimal contact and with lots of attention to cleanliness and disinfecting. If you have any concerns or questions at all about the steps we’re taking to those ends, please feel free to contact your sales representative.  We have heard from no freight companies about delays in pickup or delivery of outbound freight within the United States.
 
Even in the midst of difficulty, we’re constantly amazed by the resilience, care, and intentionality of you all in this industry, and we look forward to a day very soon when we can all breathe a little easier. 
 
We care about coffee, but most of all we care about people. We care about you, and we wish you good and continued health, now and always. 
 
Jason Long, CEO