Terms of service

Last updated: 2 May 2026 · Effective on first App Store release.

Plain English. Bloom is a curated coffee guide. Be honest in submissions, don't post things that don't belong, and treat the curated content as a guide rather than as professional advice. We can remove submissions and accounts that break these rules. The privacy details are in the privacy policy.

1. The agreement

These terms govern your use of the iOS app Bloom - The Specialty Coffee Guide ("Bloom", "the app") and the website at thebloomguide.app. Bloom is operated as a sole proprietorship by Stefan Bekker ("we", "us"). By creating an account or using the app, you agree to these terms. If you do not, do not use Bloom.

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 16 years old to use Bloom. Bloom is not directed at children under 16, and accounts created by anyone under 16 will be removed when we become aware of them.

3. Your account

You can sign in with Sign in with Apple or with an email and password. You are responsible for keeping your sign-in credentials safe.
You can have one account. Don't impersonate another person or organization.
You can delete your account from inside the app at any time: Profile → Settings → Delete account.

4. The editorial nature of Bloom

Bloom is a curated, editorial product. Whether a shop appears on the map is decided by an eligibility rubric and a human curator. We do not promise that any specific shop will be approved, will remain on the map, or will be ranked in any particular way. Curator decisions are final, though you may resubmit a shop if circumstances change (a new espresso machine, a new roaster, a new menu).

5. Submissions and other user content

When you submit a shop, Bloom a shop, or report a shop, you confirm that:

The information is accurate to the best of your knowledge.
You took the photos yourself, or you have permission from whoever did to upload them.
The content does not infringe anyone else's rights, doesn't disclose private information about other people, and isn't obscene, harassing, hateful, or otherwise unlawful.

You keep the rights to your content. By submitting it to Bloom, you grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to host, store, display, and reproduce it inside the app and in marketing materials about Bloom (for example, a screenshot of the map). The licence ends when you delete the content or your account, except for content that has been approved by a curator and is part of the curated guide. That content stays in the app, but the link to your account is removed when you delete your account, as described in the privacy policy.

6. Acceptable use

Don't:

Submit shops that don't exist, or shops you have no first-hand knowledge of.
Use Bloom to promote a shop you have a financial interest in without disclosing it. Curators will reject undisclosed-conflict submissions.
Try to game the eligibility quiz or the Bloom Score.
Scrape, mass-download, or systematically harvest data from the app.
Reverse engineer the app, except to the limited extent allowed by law.
Use Bloom to harass, threaten, or harm others.

7. Reports, "Wrong for Bloom" challenges, and enforcement

If you see something off, use the in-app Report action on a shop's detail page. If you think a shop on the map doesn't fit Bloom's third-wave rubric, use Wrong for Bloom to make the case in writing; super-curators review these. Curators review reports. We can remove submissions, photos, Blooms, or reports that break these terms. Repeated or serious violations can result in your account being suspended or deleted; once an account is flagged as banned, new submissions from it are blocked. We will tell you when we suspend an account where it's reasonable to do so.

8. App stores

If you got Bloom from the Apple App Store, your use is also subject to Apple's Licensed Application End User License Agreement. Where Apple's terms and ours conflict on usage rights, Apple's apply. Apple is not responsible for Bloom or for support of the app; we are.

9. No warranty; limitation of liability

Bloom is provided "as is". The curated guide reflects opinions of curators about which shops fit a third-wave specialty taxonomy; it is not professional advice. To the extent allowed by law, we disclaim implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. We are not liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for lost profits or data. Where law does not allow these limits, our aggregate liability is capped at the greater of US$50 or what you paid us in the 12 months before the claim. Nothing in these terms limits any non-waivable consumer right you have in your home jurisdiction (including under the EU Consumer Rights Directive or the UK Consumer Rights Act).

10. Changes to the app or to these terms

We can change Bloom and these terms over time. For material changes to these terms, we will surface a notice in the app and update the "last updated" date above before the change takes effect. Continuing to use Bloom after a change means you accept the new terms; if you don't, delete your account.

11. Termination

You can stop using Bloom and delete your account at any time. We can suspend or terminate access for serious or repeated violations of these terms. Sections that by their nature should survive termination (content licences for already-approved shops, disclaimers, liability caps, and the dispute clause) survive.

12. Governing law and disputes

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Georgia, United States, where the controller is established, without regard to conflict-of-laws rules. Disputes go to the state and federal courts of the State of Georgia, except that where local consumer law gives you a non-waivable right to bring a claim in your home jurisdiction, that right is preserved.

13. Contact

Questions about these terms: [email protected]. Privacy questions and data-rights requests: [email protected].