70% of Aussies are worried our cafes will never be the same after COVID-19, according to a new report commissioned by Australian coffee roaster Harris Coffee. Five million Australians claim to have missed their local cafe more than pubs and clubs during the COVID-19 lockdown. In response, Harris has unveiled a first-of-its-kind initiative to help keep Australia's cafe culture alive and support cafes on the road to recovery.

Cafes Hit Hard

Our cafes have been hit hard by COVID-19. Australians say they've been missing their cafes more than they pubs and clubs. The Harris Cafe Report surveyed 1000 Australian cafe goers and small business owners, to uncover attitudes towards Australia's cafe culture and owners' fears and hopes in a post-COVID-19 world. "Through our Harris Cafe Report, we found that 80% of small business owners in hospitality believe they won't recover from recent hardships without support," David Ansell, head of Harris Coffee, said. "Forty-three per cent also said they won't be able to stay open longer than six months without support."

Harris's Recovery

Harris Coffee Roasters are providing a $1 million share package for Australian cafes after COVID-19. To help, Harris has launched the Harries Cafe Recovery Project – a new scheme for Australian cafe owners nationwide, to apply for a share in a $1 million support package that will assist them in rebuilding, as they return to serving their local communities. Ansell said, "Between the bushfires and COVID-19, cafes across Australia have been hit hard in recent months. It has become clear how important cafes are to Australians and their communities. As an Australian coffee roaster, we felt like we needed to do our bit to get cafes back on their feet and help keep doors open, returning them to being an integral part of their local area." Harris is encouraging Aussies to support their local cafe by buying a coffee, and it your local is doing it tough, encourage them to apply for the Harris Cafe Recovery Project. We are proud that BioPak is sponsoring Harris in this initiative by providing Harris-branded BioCups.

  Information taken from BioPak's website. Read about how BioPak cooperates on innovation and why switching to BioPak can make a difference, on our blog.

Planet Friendly Packaging acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land on which we work. Our thoughts go out to everyone affected by COVID-19. Stay safe.