Nestlé expands blockchain to Zoégas coffee brand

Nestlé has expanded the 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. Through blockchain-recorded data, consumers will now be able to trace the coffee back to the different origins.

For the first time, Nestlé partnered with The Rainforest Alliance to independently provide reliable data beyond what is usually disclosed by the company. The Rainforest Alliance provides its own certification information, guaranteeing the traceability of the coffee. This information is directly accessible to everyone with the IBM Food Trust blockchain platform.

By scanning the QR code on the packaging, consumers can follow the coffee journey from the growing locations to the Zoégas factory in Helsingborg, where the beans are roasted, ground, and packed. The data include 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 the 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.