On March 20, 2020, Team Banato issued our first public statement regarding our response to the COVID-19 crisis. This letter was sent to our email followers, advisors, and posted on our respective social media accounts.
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Dear Banato Family,
This is an incredibly difficult time and we, Team Banato, would like to extend our hearts to everyone who has been impacted by COVID-19. Given these circumstances, we are incredibly grateful to EVERYONE who has reached out to check on Banato and thank you. In short - Yes, our business operations have also been impacted. However, we plan to use this time as an opportunity to make Banato stronger than ever and truly fulfill our mission of donating our products to communities in need.
As an 8-month-old company, we primarily operate in festivals and markets. Given that all of these activities are closed indefinitely, it is time for us to pivot. Together, we have decided to focus on developing our digital operations.
In the coming months, we will be beta testing online sales in the Chicago-land area. This means we will be revising our website, boosting our social media presence, and experimenting with various means of delivery. Additionally, we intend to use this interim as an opportunity to focus on our test kitchen. In the coming months, our social media will feature developments from our kitchen and roll-out some exciting new flavor combinations!
Last but not least, we founded our company with the hope of bringing fruit to communities with less accessibility to affordable and wholesome treats. With so many communities impacted by the coronavirus, we believe now is the time to take our mission to heart and make waves. We will be reaching out to various organizations to donate Banato.
If you happen to have any recommendations for soup kitchens or food pantries which may be interested in Banato, let us know at info@banato.com.
We thank each and every one of you for checking on us and continuing to support us. For that, we are more proud than ever Chicago is home of Banato. When this crisis is over, we will be more prepared than ever to bring to our neighbors the best of Banato.
With love,
Jennifer Chan, Founder and CEO
Melanie Iverson, Chief Creative Officer
Erik Khamphouy, Chief Customer Officer
Don Dye, Chief Growth Officer