Farm-to-cup: Blockchain initiative boosts storytelling and transparency of Honduran coffee

17 Mar 2021 --- What is pegged as the “first blockchain coffee coming from Honduras” has been released by Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group. The “farm-to-cup” traceable beverage offers consumers a scannable QR code on packs of Segafredo Storia to discover what kind of coffee it is, where it has been grown, and by whom. 

With software from Farmer Connect powered by IBM Blockchain, the system demonstrates the coffee’s journey in the form of a map based on encrypted blockchain data. This starts from its farming region and continues through shipment, all the way to the roastery and packing site of the product in Finland.

The Europe-wide launch will kick off in April in eleven main markets and global launches with additional coffee origins are anticipated at the start of next year 2022.

“Given our international presence, we understand the importance of promoting a culture of sustainability and transparency,” says Massimo Zanetti, founder and chairman of Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group.

“Therefore, we will do our very best to protect human rights, reduce our environmental impact and encourage sustainable development throughout the value chain.”

Pivotal to Innova Market Insights’ Top Trend for 2021, “Transparency Triumphs,” blockchain’s immutability properties benefit companies seeking to consistently monitor quality, eco-conscious practices and the payment of fair wages across their supply chains.

Segafredo Storia coffee. (Credit: Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group)Birth and journey of coffee
The Segafredo Storia story is illustrated on the coffee’s package through photos of the actual people involved in producing Storia coffee. In addition, buyers can read more on sustainability projects and efforts taking place in Honduras.

For this product series, the manufacturer selected 51 farmers from the areas of Lempira and Intibuca in Honduras to participate.

In Honduras, the Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group has been an active local sponsor of onboarding farmers to sustainability and quality initiatives. These projects are put into place to support higher productivity and income for the farmers, as well as in social initiatives to improve the well-being and education of their children.

“We have always believed that the integration of the supply chain and people participating in it, from the farms all over the world to the café and stores, can guarantee excellence, but it is equally important that we commit to protecting business ethics, human rights and the environment,” maintains Zanetti.

Organic and rainforest-positive
Segafredo Storia is organic and Rainforest Alliance certified. It is available as espresso and filter coffee, in whole bean or ground, both for foodservice and retail stores. It is a single-origin coffee from 100 percent high-grown arabica.

The coffee blend consists of arabica varieties – such as Catuai, Typica and Lempira – which are blended and roasted into two premium quality cup profiles suitable for espresso and filter coffee.

The espresso coffee is described as a slightly darker roast, with fruity notes and pleasant acidity. The filter coffee is a medium roast with dark chocolate and sweet notes.

Traceable drinks
Last year, “Storytelling: Winning with Words” was crowned a Top Trend for F&B product development by Innova Market Insights. Continuing into this year, this phenomenon evidently holds influence on purchasing decisions and has resulted in companies increasingly paying attention to storytelling in branding strategies. 

In this space, IBM and Farmer Connect harnessed the power of blockchain in the partnership’s latest unveiling of a mobile app designed to raise traceability, efficiency and fairness across the global coffee supply chain.

Last year, IBM teamed up with Nestlé and Carrefour to give consumers the ability to access information from the first blockchain on a national brand in Europe.

Similarly, Olam Food Ingredients is leveraging its AtSource platform to ensure the sustainable cultivation of ingredients for its antioxidant-rich cascara (coffee cherry) iced tea and deZaan D11MG, a Ghana single-origin cocoa powder.

By Benjamin Ferrer

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