What is digital traceability? In terms of coffee production, there is a general idea of what it means—using the power of the internet or the cloud or blockchain or some such to provide transparency on what a coffee is and where it comes from—but really only painted in the broadest of strokes. But in practice, what is it though? What does it mean for producers, importers, and roasters or does the meaning change for each?
These are the questions that Digital Coffee Future’s Traceability Summit seeks to answer. Taking place at the end of October, the online form is bringing together everyone in the supply chain from producers to roasters to take digital traceability from a buzzword to something more actionable.
The new event is the work of Digital Coffee Future, a “virtual hub focusing on coffee digitalization” that brings together “farmer organizations, traders, roasters, NGOs, public institutions, tech providers, academics, baristas and individual coffee professionals by creating a neutral and pre-competitive space to discuss how both digital and non-digital interventions can come together and complement one another to forge a more solid strategy for the future of coffee,” created by Elisa Criscione, Jessika Heredia Sosa, and The Chain Collaborative’s Nora Burkey. Taking place October 28th and 29th, the Traceability Summit will be a place for folks to discuss the “opportunities, challenges, and conditions for success” in implementing traceability strategies at every step of the process.
This will be done through panel discussions, virtual meet-ups, and networking opportunities—in both English and Spanish—across the two-day event. Speakers lined up for the event include Amanda Eastwood (Westrock Coffee), Jésus Salazar Velasco (Caféologo), Karla Boza (Grounds for Empowerment), Michael Sheridan (Intelligentsia), and Ever Meister, amongst many, many more.
Tickets for the event can be purchased via the Traceability Summit 2021 Eventbrite page for €35 ($41 USD). Thanks to the backing of event sponsors Ecom Trading, Koltiva, Root Capital, and GIZ, 50 free tickets are being offered to coffee producers and cooperative members, which can be applied for here. For more information on the event, to get a full list of speakers and talks, or to register, visit Digital Coffee Future’s official website.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
