Nestlé expands use of blockchain technology to Zoégas coffee brand
Image courtesy of Nestlé
Nestlé has expanded its use of the IBM Food Trust blockchain technology platform to its Zoégas coffee brand.
The company has launched select editions of Zoégas whole beans and roast and ground coffee in Sweden. This ‘Summer 2020’ range is a 100% Rainforest Alliance certified blend of arabica coffee beans from three origins – Brazil, Rwanda and Colombia. Now, through blockchain-recorded data, coffee lovers will be able to trace their coffee back to its origins.
This is the first time Nestlé has partnered with a trusted third party – The Rainforest Alliance – to independently provide reliable data beyond what is usually disclosed. The Rainforest Alliance provides its own certification information, guaranteeing the traceability of the Nestlé coffee. This information is then directly accessible to everyone with the IBM Food Trust blockchain platform.
By scanning the QR code on the Nestlé packaging, consumers are able to follow the coffee’s journey from the growing locations to the Zoégas factory in Helsingborg where the beans are roasted, grounded and packed. The data includes information about farmers, time of harvest, transaction certificate for the specific shipments, as well as roasting period.
Nestlé started using blockchain in 2017 when it joined the IBM Food Trust as a founding member. Over the past three years, Nestlé has scaled up and diversified the use of blockchain platforms to bring its transparency and sustainability efforts to life for consumers. It started giving consumers access to blockchain with IBM on products such as Mousline purée and Guigoz infant formula in France. Together with OpenSC, Nestlé is also piloting open blockchain to monitor and openly communicate data related to the sustainability of milk and palm oil.
