LONDON, UK – Olam is experimenting with technologies that reach remote coffee farmers and empower them to sell to the company directly, thereby giving them access to global market prices.
Its first kiosk in Ibicocara – Brazil’s Bahia region, allows farmers to drop off coffee samples and then Olam manages the testing and pricing negotiation via its digital platform, Olam Direct.
The company has received more than 50 samples in July, its first month of operation, and farmer feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.
Olam hopes to roll out the kiosks to serve additional farmers in 2021 and the locations may offer other value-add services for farmers and their communities.
In the picture: Edmilson Rocha Aguiar, who farms 140 miles away from the closest Olam facility in Vitoria da Conquista, was one of the first participants in the kiosk test.
