An innovative coffee pilot project with selected specialty coffees between ofi (olam food ingredients) and Melitta Europa GmbH & Co KG – Coffee Division – is combining the capabilities of blockchain with other digital tools to meet growing consumer demand for coffee that not only stands out for its aroma and taste but is also traceable – from farm to roaster.
“Consumers are increasingly interested in where their ingredients come from, but traceability is notoriously challenging in coffee supply chains because of their fragmented nature. The beans are sourced from smallholder farmers scattered across remote areas and often change hands multiple times before reaching the roaster,” said Florian Schmidt, general manager, coffee, at ofi.
“This is why we’re innovating with our customers to deepen our digital presence on the ground to improve traceability. This benefits both farmers and coffee lovers, who are becoming increasingly quality-oriented and experience-driven,” Schmidt continues.
At farm level, ofi sources high-quality lots via its proprietary smartphone app from smallholder farmers located in the south-central region of Guatemala. It allows farmers to negotiate and transact with ofi directly. Each transaction is tagged with the farm location and date and provides the source data for Melitta’s SAP material traceability tool, using blockchain technology.
