VILLORBA, Italy – Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group, a worldwide leader in the coffee industry, introduces Segafredo Storia, a new sustainable coffee series that takes the next leap in global traceability and transparency made possible utilizing blockchain technology. Segafredo Storia demonstrates the transparency of the Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group global supply chain and reveals the people and places involved in the birth and journey of this premium coffee.
Through a QR-code on-pack, Segafredo Storia goes beyond its origin and brings all the protagonists of the coffee together. It is the new frontier of traceability and transparency supported by blockchain data. It starts by selecting sustainable premium coffee that is traceable from the cup all the way back to the farm where it was grown.
Massimo Zanetti, Founder and Chairman of Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group comments: “Our passion, commitment, and expertise are reflected in every cup of coffee we produce, as we strive to provide a unique and outstanding experience for our consumers.
Today, thanks to the Farmer Connect traceability platform powered by IBM Blockchain, we have taken a big step forward in transparency of our global supply chain and how we can demonstrate that back to our consumers. We are set off on a journey to further increase our co-operation and shared know-how throughout the coffee value chain and to support our contributions to the development of increasingly sustainable products.
Given our international presence, we understand the importance of promoting a culture of sustainability and transparency. Therefore, we will do our very best to protect human rights, reduce our environmental impact, and encourage sustainable development throughout the value chain.
Thanks to the implementation of tools such as Blockchain, which monitor our products throughout every stage of the value chain and keep the data immutable, we assure quality, consistency, and transparency. Segafredo Storia is not only our new and innovative product series, but it is also a symbol of our Group’s values and all the people who made the coffee possible.
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 protect business ethics, human rights and the environment.”
The Segafredo Storia coffee is a showcase to demonstrate the company’s journey to develop greater sustainability throughout the entire Massimo Zanetti Group global coffee supply chain. This story is illustrated on the coffee’s package through photos of the actual people involved in producing Storia coffee; from Honduras to Finland, where the roastery selected for this project is situated.
The Europe-wide launch will kick-off in April in eleven main markets and we expect to bring Segafredo Storia to the rest of the world with additional coffee origins by the beginning of 2022.
Technology as an “enabler” of values
Blockchain is a technology that allows secure and certified collection of transactions peer to peer. It is a distributed public ledger where each block contains information that has been accepted and verified. You can add verified information to the chain but you cannot change any previous data, which is a key asset of blockchain data. The information is encrypted and distributed globally, making it virtually impossible to be hacked but available to share in a safe manner. Applying this technology to a supply chain, like the coffee one, is the strongest possible way to guarantee the traceability and reliability of the information provided to the consumer.
Farmer Connect App
Farmer Connect is a consumer-facing application that pulls information directly from the encrypted blockchain data platform in a standardized way so that it may be used across the industry. It connects the user to farmers, traders, roasters, and brands.
The consumer app is accessed through the QR-code on the pack. In the application the consumer can experience the coffee story in all its aspects: what kind of coffee it is, where it has been grown, and by whom. The application also demonstrates the journey in the form of a map based on encrypted blockchain data starting from farming region, through shipment all the way to the roastery, and actual roasting and packing of the coffee. In addition, you can read more on sustainability projects and efforts taking place in Honduras. Segafredo Storia is the first blockchain coffee coming from Honduras.
Segafredo Storia – The Product
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; a premium batch from 100% high grown arabica. The coffee blend consists of arabica varieties, such as Catuai, Typica, and Lempira which are blended and roasted into two interesting and premium quality cup profiles suitable for espresso and filter coffee. The espresso coffee is a slightly darker roast, with fruity notes and pleasant acidity. The filter coffee is a medium roast with dark chocolate and sweet notes.
For this unique product series, a total 51 farmers were selected from the areas of Lempira and Intibuca in Honduras to participate. The collaboration with the farmers is based on long-term development and co-operation that support sustainability, productivity, and high quality. The Rainforest Alliance and Organic certifications support this effort and offer third party validation to our work.
In Honduras, the Group has been an active local sponsor for many years; both in onboarding farmers to sustainability and quality initiatives that support higher productivity and income for the farmers as well as in social initiatives to improve wellbeing and education of children.
The coffee is both Organic and Rainforest Alliance certified. Both of these programmes provide the support and framework for constant improvement of the wellbeing and equality of local communities, taking care of the environment, and increasing productivity and benefits for the farmers.
The Rainforest Alliance is an established global leader in sustainability certification and a non-profit organisation, that works at the intersection of business, agriculture, and forests to make responsible business the new normal. The seal means that the certified product or ingredient was produced using methods that solve urgent challenges within the three pillars of sustainability: social, economic, and environmental. Independent, third-party auditors—critical to the integrity of any certification program—evaluate farmers and the complete supply chain against requirements in all three areas before awarding or renewing certification; this emphasizes a commitment to continuous improvement, sustainability training, and clear benefits for farmers.
Storia coffees are also 100% organic. The EU Organic certification demonstrates that the coffee is made of organically farmed coffee beans. Organic farming provides framework for sustainable farming and practices to improve the environmental impact of agriculture and long-term productivity without methods that are harmful to nature or the health and well-being of humans, plants, or animals.
Sustainability and transparency are increasingly emphasized by consumers across Europe. For instance, in 2020 44% of all Europeans said it would be very valuable to have more information on the farmers who grow their food (+5% vs 2019). A staggering 92% of the Italian consumers say having food traceable on the blockchain would be valuable. We can also see that the Covid-19 pandemic only enhances this further.*
*source: IBM & Morning Consult Europe – Dec 2020 – study of 1000 respondents in Italy, Spain, Germany, UK
IBM
IBM is recognized as the leading enterprise blockchain provider. The company’s research, technical and business experts have broken barriers in transaction processing speeds, developed the most advanced cryptography to secure transactions, and are contributing millions of lines of open source code to advance blockchain for businesses. IBM is the leader in open-source blockchain solutions built for the enterprise. Since 2016, IBM has worked in several sectors to implement blockchain applications. The cloud-based IBM Blockchain Platform delivers the end-to-end capabilities that clients need to quickly activate and successfully develop, operate, govern and secure their own business networks. IBM is an early member of Hyperledger, an open-source collaborative effort created to advance cross-industry blockchain technologies.
Farmer Connect
Farmer Connect is an industry-led initiative with the vision to humanize consumption through technology. Farmer Connect’s solutions of supply chain digitization are designed to support increased traceability, efficiency, and sustainability in coffee and cacao supply chains globally. Leveraging data, Farmer Connect enables farmers and small businesses while reducing costs and inefficiencies for global enterprises. Farmer Connect does that through several emerging technologies, such as blockchain, self-sovereign identity, and artificial intelligence – keeping it simple.
Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group S.p.A.
Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group S.p.A. is a world leader in the production, processing, and marketing of roasted coffee, distributed in about 110 countries. The Group manages the different activities, from procurement to consumption, operating 20 facilities across Europe, Asia and the Americas, and through a global network of about 400 coffee shops in 50 countries. Moreover, Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group completes the range of its products through the sale of professional coffee machines “La San Marco” and complementary products, such as tea, cocoa, chocolate, and top-quality spices.
