Quality mark development for coffee shops

In order to restore trust between coffee shops and banks and to provide a solution for the limited access to banking services, a proposal was made in 2021 to develop an industry quality mark. The quality mark aims to make financial flows within coffee shops more transparent and to demonstrate compliance with regulations. This would position coffee shops as reliable and professional partners towards banks, supervisors and policy makers.
The need for the quality mark emerged during discussions with ministries, supervisors and the Dutch Banking Association (NVB). Banks indicated that they needed more comfort to limit their risks when facilitating the coffee shop sector.

Central to my work was writing the industry guideline. I collected input from all stakeholders involved, including the Dutch Banking Association (NVB), supervisor DNB, ministries and coffee shop entrepreneurs. By carefully listening to their bottlenecks and expectations, I drew up a clear and practical guideline that matched both the requirements of the banks and the reality of the industry. This not only meant mapping out financial transparency and regulatory compliance, but also translating complex compliance requirements into feasible agreements for coffee shops.
To ensure that the guideline was widely supported, I actively worked on creating support within the sector. I facilitated discussions, processed feedback and continuously emphasized the common interest: a reliable and future-proof sector with access to banking services.
In addition, I wrote the content for the accompanying website, which serves as a central information platform for the quality mark. In an accessible manner, I explained what the quality mark entails, what benefits it offers and how it can be applied in practice. The website offers entrepreneurs, banks and policymakers insight into the guidelines and contributes to transparency around the implementation and objectives of the quality mark.
My efforts went beyond drawing up documents: I brought parties together, guided the discussions and ensured a clear, workable outcome that creates trust between the coffee shop sector and the financial sector.

Actions:
1. Writing the sector guideline:
- Research conducted into best practices and existing self-regulation in other sectors.

2. Drafting a complete guideline with clear criteria aimed at:
- Transparency of financial flows.
- Compliance with regulations such as the Wwft.
- Code of conduct and professionalization within the sector.
- Processing feedback from stakeholders (banks, NVB, supervisors and entrepreneurs) to create a broadly supported and realistic guideline.
3. Support and stakeholder management:
- Organizing consultations with representatives of banks, supervisors and ministries.
- Actively listening to bottlenecks and concerns, and processing these in the final guideline.
- Creating broad support within the sector to ensure successful implementation.
4. Development of the website:
- Writing accessible and informative texts for entrepreneurs, banks and policymakers.
- Structuring the website so that the platform serves as a central information point about the quality mark and the guidelines.
- Provide a clear explanation of the benefits and practical application of the quality mark.
5. Promotion and implementation:
- Inform coffee shop entrepreneurs about the guideline and the benefits of participating in the quality mark.
- Publish articles and policy documents to increase awareness of the quality mark among banks and other stakeholders.

Result:
The sector guideline forms the basis for a practical and feasible quality mark, which is supported by both the sector and by banks and supervisors. The quality mark offers a concrete instrument to demonstrate the reliability of coffee shops and to improve the relationship with banks. The accompanying website makes all information clear and accessible, so that both entrepreneurs and involved parties know what to expect.