{"id":21546,"date":"2021-07-12T09:24:21","date_gmt":"2021-07-12T09:24:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bartalks.net\/?p=21546"},"modified":"2021-07-12T09:24:24","modified_gmt":"2021-07-12T09:24:24","slug":"hema-stocks-traceable-ucc-coffee-in-800-stores-with-farmer-connect-technology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bartalks.net\/hema-stocks-traceable-ucc-coffee-in-800-stores-with-farmer-connect-technology\/","title":{"rendered":"HEMA STOCKS TRACEABLE UCC COFFEE IN 800 STORES WITH FARMER CONNECT TECHNOLOGY"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Farmer Connect, whose CEO, Michael Chrisment, we interviewed<\/a>, have struck a significant deal along with their partners UCC Coffee Benelux, The Colombian Coffee Growers Federation (FNC), Volcafe and Supremo N.V, and retail giant HEMA, to create the first coffee that can be traced back to the origin farm, using blockchain technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Farmer Connect uses sophisticated track & trace technology, leveraging IBM’s blockchain service, to create an entire audit all the way back to the farmer. Importantly, however, for the user, the company uses a technology that almost anyone with a smartphone can use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The consumer just takes a photo of the code on the back of the coffee bag, and their phone will display in-depth information about the beans, the farmer, and even the route the beans took to arrive on the supermarket shelf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Track & Trace, as it’s known, provides a platform that has the potential to change several aspects of the industry. The consumer is attracted by knowing more about the coffee they are drinking. In addition, feeling good about making their purchase has been demonstrated to be an important element of the consumer decision-making process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UCC and HEMA have produced 2 new, fully traceable coffees using Farmer Connect’s blockchain technology which will be sold throughout all 800 HEMA stores.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company issued a press release in which they said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is UCC Benelux and HEMA\u2019s first-ever blockchain traced coffee.<\/strong> The collaboration between the two and farmer connect\u00ae<\/sup> is a powerful partnership that will help increase transparency, credibility, and fairness across the whole coffee supply chain. Ultimately, helping to build farm-to-consumer trust by providing detailed information about where the product has been sourced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UCC Coffee Benelux has purchased, roasted, and packaged beans from coffee growers around the world to bring these products to market in HEMA\u2019s 800 stores across Europe, Gulf Cooperation Council and Mexico. The Colombian coffee has been supplied by the FNC and Volcafe, and the Rwandan coffee by Supremo N.V \u2013 a subsidiary of ECOM Group. Retailers and consumers can trace these two coffees back to their origins using farmer connect\u00ae<\/sup>\u2019s \u2018Thank My Farmer\u2019 app via the QR code.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This deal demonstrates yet more action from the industry to fix the current issue of scattered traceability data and will be a roadmap for other players on how to standardise and aggregate this vital information across different supply chains and partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking on the alliance, Lian Enting, Lead Category Manager for Food at HEMA, says: \u201cWe took this step to work with UCC Coffee Benelux and farmer connect\u00ae<\/sup> to ensure our customers have access to products that allow them to always shop responsibly. So far, our work with farmer connect\u00ae<\/sup> has proven incredibly valuable and has been a strong indicator that consumers are shopping more mindfully. In fact, now 70% of our range is fully traceable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UCC Coffee Benelux\u2019s Mark Duursma and Miguel Reguera, Blockchain project leaders, add: \u201cWe are incredibly excited to now be housed in such an influential retailer that is equally dedicated to everything we believe in. Our work so far with farmer connect\u00ae<\/sup> on Orang Utan Coffee<\/a> has proven that this technology allows our consumers to track and trace the entire life cycle of our coffees and helps them make more mindful shopping decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Miguel adds: \u201cUCC was the first ever coffee company to use farmer connect\u00ae<\/sup> in the UK, and we\u2019re proud to see this roll out across our other regions and customers. Big thanks go to a combined team effort from The Colombian Coffee Growers Federation (FNC), Volcafe and Supremo N.V, who all collaborated to achieve this milestone for UCC and HEMA. We firmly believe that further change can happen if the coffee industry works together as a whole, to promote interaction at both ends of the supply chain \u2013 this has the potential to revolutionise not just the coffee industry, but the retail industry too\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Volcafe Managing Director, Trishul Mandana has said \u201cWe are proud to play this pivotal role in providing global access to the world\u2019s finest coffees,\u201d and Berend Langelaar, Head of Trading at Volcafe Switzerland adds: \u201cWe\u2019re excited to be a partner in this fully traceable project. The coffee world is moving towards enhanced value chain transparency and this joined-up project is a great step forward.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThrough this program, HEMA, UCC, farmer connect\u00ae<\/sup> and the FNC are using technology to bring producers closer to consumers, not only to introduce them to the magnificent coffee landscapes of Colombia, but also to show them all the positive impact coffee has in our communities and our environment, improving farmers\u2019 living conditions,\u201d says Juan Camilo Ramos, FNC\u2019s Chief Commercial Officer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thomas Delbar, Strategic Sourcing Manager at Supremo N.V, says: \u201cCollaborating with farmer connect\u00ae<\/sup> to show full traceability of our Rwanda supply chain has been an eye-opening experience. The level of detail involved in registering all steps which coffee had to take and transformations it had to undergo to reach the final consumer, from farmgate to port and beyond that to Europe, was quite impressive. We certainly look forward to repeating this experience in the near future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Michael Chrisment, CEO of farmer connect\u00ae<\/sup>, comments: \u201cThis collaboration is an example to the industry that if we work together, we can tackle the issues in our supply chain to make systemic change. We are incredibly proud to facilitate this partnership and global collaboration and cannot wait to see the ecosystem of farmer connect\u00ae<\/sup> users continue to grow.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Founded in 2019, farmer connect\u00ae<\/sup>\u2019s mission is to \u201chumanize consumption through technology.\u201d Powered by IBM\u2019s Food Trust, the farmer connect\u00ae<\/sup> blockchain allows retailers and consumers to trace coffee back to its different origins by simply scanning a QR code on the packaging, and seeing the full lifecycle through its \u2018Thank My Farmer\u2019 app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new coffees have their own incredibly unique stories to tell. Using the farmer connect\u00ae<\/sup> app, consumers will discover the journey of every bean:<\/p>\n\n\n\n