Publisher’s Toast: A Time Like None Other

I have spent years writing a column chronicling the beverage marketplace, in good times, bad times, and others in between. We have encountered recessions, political upheavals, consolidations, bankruptcies, health issues like SARS and Ebola. We lived through 9/11: It doesn’t get more intense than that. There have been so many times we’ve been tested, and have always come through prouder and stronger. We meet these challenges head-on. These are events bigger than beverages and business, so I write about my thoughts on the state of affairs today.

As we all sit hunkered down in our homes during this unprecedented COVID-19 crisis, one has time to reflect on what’s important in one’s life. A mere week ago, I was upset that Expo West was canceled. I always looked forward to the trade show — not just due to its importance to our industry, but also because of its longtime meaning for to me. I see friends, we catch up, the collective harnesses its excitement for the year to come. I thought the cancellation was an overreaction, based on fear and a lack of information. Boy, was I wrong.

We fast forward to today. The country is on hold, business is at a standstill. Cities are being shut down, restaurants shuttered, millions of jobs potentially lost. I personally have someone very close to me who got sick and had to be tested for COVID-19. We are awaiting the results as I type this column. I cannot visit with my granddaughter, which I do 3-4 times a week, as New York is pretty much closed for business and pleasure. I can’t head downtown.

I have spoken with many beverage marketers over the past few days, and they are hurting. No one is immune during this crisis. I feel for them and everyone in our country.

I have always lived by the adage that “this, too, shall pass.” I just hope it does sooner than later. I look forward to writing again soon about the brilliance, creativity, and resilience of the industry I’ve loved for 29 years now.