Looking Back On Our Pandemic Grocery Program
It’s crazy to think that over 6 months ago, we were heading into the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic with the needs of our community, our staff, and the Shop on our minds.
It started with selling gallons of milk from our barista fridge. What we came up with quickly after was a way for our neighbors to reliably receive healthy and fresh produce while minimizing trips to supermarkets where lines were growing painfully long.
Over twenty weeks ago on March 21, 2020 we had officially announced our Penstock Grocery program. We wrote in a letter, that many of you may remember, that we would need 100 people to sign up for our weekly "Large Veggie Essentials" bag in order to make it through the season while being able to keep every single team member.
We honestly did not know what to expect! At that time, everything was changing daily. Businesses, schools and everyone in between were waiting on Governor Murphy’s next announcement.
Then, as we announced our grocery initiative, your names began to pop up in the system. A large veggie order! A small veggie order! A gallon milk and toilet paper! Our baristas had to adapt seemingly overnight to becoming package receivers, admins, grocers and runners. It wasn't something they signed up for but it was something that showed no hesitation in becoming. It humbled us tremendously. It was a strange and exciting feeling as we organized bags of groceries in our Shop, preparing to hand them off to you while masked & gloved with a cup of coffee.
Soon we adopted the hashtag #penstockcoffeegrocers. It was the most rewarding thing for us as a staff to see your stories and posts because we got to see what everybody did with the veggies and grains.
There were surely hiccups and we are grateful for the patience that some of you had so graciously extended. It meant the most to us. We think back on fun moments like naming "Herbert" our refrigerator, the new offerings like baking ciabatta on the weekly, and of course there were extremely tough days for our staff too. They always found a way to renew their energy and spirit.
Today we are open not only with every staff team member but with new ones too, many of whose faces you have not met yet because they're under masks. This is something we do not take for granted and owe to our incredible and dearly supportive customers. With other options you may have had, we cannot thank you enough for choosing to support this small business.
Our biggest hope is that you found the groceries to be helpful, healthful and delicious. We hope that the recipe cards gave you a new dish to bring to the table with your loved ones. We hope that you know just how much off a difference you made for your local small business, because you made a huge one. Thank you for allowing us to be there for you and there for our team. We'll see you soon!
In particular, we’d like to give a big shout out to Yeasol and Joe. These guys made an incredible team and were the main hands behind the grocery program. Without them, we couldn’t have done it. Thank you Yeasol and Joe!
With sincerest gratitude,
Penstock Coffee
