As we continue to struggle as a nation to cope with the impact of Covid-19 on a local, national and international level, and adapt our lives to a new normal in order to keep the R number below 1 and implement strategic lockdowns in specific communities, I stop to reflect on the impact this pandemic is having on our 2020 project helping girls in Zimbabwe continue their education. Whilst we complain about compulsory quarantine after a 2 week holiday in Spain, rally against wearing face masks in busy public places, miss having mass social gatherings with our friends and family and struggle with continuing to work from home in an ever changing landscape, spare a thought for a country that is suffering from a poor harvest, rampant inflation and a growing Coronavirus problem.

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As Jellybean celebrates its 33rd year in business and manages its way through the Covid 19 lockdown I take a rather irreverent look back and reflect on what was happening in the UK in 1987 – the year that it all started and our business was established. I am sure it will jog some memories and I hope it brings a smile to a few old faces who remember those days as fondly as I do.

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Yesterday’s announcement to open up hospitality and UK tourism from 4^th July was just the life line the industry had been campaigning hard for. Married with the unseasonably good weather we’re currently experiencing, it looks like we may be about to see a staycation boom this summer (with Bojo’s blessing). After being cooped up for so long there is a sense that certainly a sizeable chunk of the population rather fancy a change of scene having stared at the same four walls for the past three months.

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In the absence of almost all face to face interactions in our working lives, it’s amazing how quickly in isolation we have adapted and gotten used to viewing each other as small, slightly pixelated digital beings, via video platforms like Zoom or Teams.

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When it feels like we’re living in a Groundhog Day, the task of finding ways to stay positive is becoming a challenge we’re all facing. Whist we’re doing what we should to stay physically healthy, it’s equally as critical we stay on top of our mental health. Laurie Santos, Professor of Psychology and host of The Happiness Lab podcast recently spoke about the ways in which we can boost our well-being during these unprecedented times. Here’s the key take-outs from her most recent Q&A:

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Now more than at any other time in recent history, food and drink suppliers, retailers and the whole of the supply chain are in the spotlight as they pull together to feed the nation. For food and drink brands looking to not just survive but thrive through these unprecedented times, now is not the time to step back from trade communications – quite the opposite is true. Stepping up, planning and managing effective trade communications is the right thing to do as it will ensure suppliers are providing retailers, trade press and other key industry stakeholders with the support and information that is desperately needed and so critically important.

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Dealing with a situation like Covid19 on a local, national and global scale is unprecedented and uncharted and it touches every single one of us on a macro and micro scale.  Never before have we felt so vulnerable, fighting an invisible enemy, afraid for our health, our friends’ and families’ health, our future jobs and the damage to us financially and emotionally, as we lock down to flatten the curve and take pressure off essential services.

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The Pivot

In these unprecedented times the hospitality and foodservice sector has been thrown a curve ball of unfathomable proportions. As a specialist foodservice agency we feel for all the restaurants, cafes, pubs and hotels trying to make the best of a what is a hugely challenging and scary situation. Of course the wellbeing and safety of staff and the population as a whole is paramount and Boris was quite right to do what he did in the circumstances, but it has been a belly blow to the sector.

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Picture this… cobbled streets intertwining, calm canal water sparkling under the winter sun, muted sounds of horses’ clip clopping – sounds good right? Well, not only does Bruges offer postcard-like scenery straight out of the movies, it has some of finest foodie delicacies known to woman. Your daily diet could (and should) consist of silky-smooth chocolates, traditionally brewed beer (gin in my case) and fresh fluffy waffles. A winning combination for a European getaway, I think you’d agree.

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As a specialist food and drink agency targeting the foodservice, grocery and retail trade we do more than our fair share of B2B communications. As such we have long been an advocates of B2B Marketing and the report and league table it produces each year ranking agencies and providing insight to the industry. This year we are delighted to rank as 61st overall and in the ‘Top 30 Independent Integrated B2B Agencies’ at 28th, coming in 4th for independent integrated B2B agencies with less than 25 employees (we are after all – as trite as it may sound – big enough to matter but small enough to care).

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The recent Extinction Rebellion protests have focused our minds on a global problem and if I have learnt one thing from them it is that “We can choose to be affected by the world or we can choose to affect the world.” Heidi Wills. The XR cause is undoubtedly a worthy one and critical to the future of our planet and I am not here to challenge the essence of their goal or to speculate on their questionable (and sometimes hypocritical) methods, but rather to reflect on another critical world problem that is deserving of the same level of attention – child poverty.

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Every few years we visit North Dakota to see my husband’s brother and his family. This year we mixed it up a bit, turning it into an adventure that would take us on an unlikely journey from Winnipeg, all the way to Newport Beach.

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