At Bula Kava House, we understand the uncertainty and confusion felt by many of our loyal customers during this unprecedented time. While the future may seem frightening, know that by staying united, we can all endure even the most difficult of challenges. Even though we may not be able to gather in nakamals to enjoy kava together, the spirit of kava remains universal, and that bond can help to create a connection between us all as we await the return of some type of normalcy in our lives.
We remain committed to providing our customers with the same high-quality kava and exceptional service you’ve come to expect from the team at Bula Kava House. During this difficult period, transparency is vital and it’s never been more important that we keep a clear line of communication open between Bula and our loyal customers. As with every service-related business, we’ve had to make a few changes in response to the ongoing health crisis.
Here’s how COVID-19 is currently impacting our business, what customers may need to expect going forward, and what services we plan on continuing to offer.
Bula Online Store
The Bula online store will continue to sell and ship all available kava products for as long as supplies last. A limited number of our staff will handle the fulfilling and shipping of online kava orders, and we will take every precaution to ensure the safe handling of our kava.
Currently, nearly all air freight from the South Pacific has been placed on hold. Unfortunately, due to the swift-moving nature of the virus and the global response of closing borders, we were unable to stock up in advance and have a limited supply of our Vanuatu and South Pacific kavas.
At the moment, we have many of your favorite kava roots in stock, such as Melo Melo, Nangol Noble, and 11-Year Waka, along with a wide variety of instant kava. Unfortunately, we do anticipate supplies running out if boarders remained closed and air shipping doesn’t resume. Fortunately, Bula maintains strong relationships with many kava distributors, and we remain confident that we will have the ability to keep at least some types of kava in stock. As new types of kava arrive at our store, we will be sure to let you know.
Finally, we do anticipate that kava prices will climb during this time across the industry as a whole. As many of our loyal customers know, the global market was already experiencing a kava shortage due to demand outpacing the supply. Now, with kava supply lines frozen, that demand will only continue to grow. While we do plan on absorbing as much of the anticipated price increase as possible, customers should expect to see at least a slight increase in kava prices going forward for the near future.
Bula Portland Kava Bar
For the regulars at our Portland kava bar, we say tangkyu for your continued patronage over the years, and we look forward to the day we can reopen our doors for a little communal kava consumption. Until that time, we will continue to offer to-go kava only, both in bulk powder sales and in prepared kava drinks, from 12 pm to 5 pm daily. Please call us to place your order first, if possible.
Our full menu will remain available, and we will offer daily specials as well. As with the online store, supplies are limited for our South Pacific kavas. We will do our best to keep some of our kava stock available for in-store purchase, so feel free to stop by and see what we have in stock.
Again, thanks to our solid relationship with kava distributors, we anticipate having some kava in stock going forward, and we will let you know more about that kava in the future.
Even though the uncertainty surrounding the next few months may seem frightening, we will get through this together. From the team at Bula, we wish you best and hope you and your family remain safe, healthy, and happy during this difficult time.
Baibai for now, and tangkyu.