Technology
Starbucks connects guests to coffee with digital traceability tool
August 21, 2020
Starbucks guests will be able to get to know the people who grow, harvest, roast and prepare their coffee, thanks to the company's digital traceability tool. Following a 2018 pilot test, a shareholder preview in 2019 and a research review with Conservation International, customers may now visit traceability.starbucks.com to learn more about the people and places producing their coffee across 30 countries, according to a company press release.
How it works
After visiting traceability.starbucks.com on their mobile devices or laptops, customers may scan or enter the number on the back of any bag of whole bean coffee. The mobile web app will take them to the part of the world in which their coffee was grown, introduce them to some of the farmers growing the coffee and allow them to meet some of the roasters.
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| Abigail Kroon (right), meeting with coffee producers in Colombia 2018. |
"We've always known where our coffee comes from as part of C.A.F.E. Practices, our responsible sourcing program, but now, with this tool, we have the opportunity to transparently share that information with everyone," Michelle Burns, senior vice president of global coffee, tea and cocoa, said in the release. "Every coffee has a story to tell, and I could not be more excited for people to be more connected to the whole coffee experience, from bean to cup, and meet the many people whose hard work, time and attention makes coffee possible."
The tool, powered by Microsoft's Azure Blockchain Service, allows customers to:
- Learn more about Starbucks' approach to responsibly sourcing coffee.
- Discover the origins of each bag of coffee and meet a farmer growing coffee in that region.
- Learn where and how the coffee was roasted and meet a roasting plant partner.
- Read tasting notes, brewing recommendations and insights from a store partner.
Starbucks Digital Traceability, powered by Microsoft's Azure Blockchain Service, traces both the movement of the coffee and its transformation from bean to final bag.
"Growing coffee, particularly at the quality and rigor required by Starbucks responsible sourcing standards, is not easy, and it's exciting to get to share the stories of the coffee producers who make it happen," Abigail Kroon, traceability manager on the Starbucks global coffee team who helped develop the tool, said in the release. "They are a huge part of our daily cup of coffee, and with traceability we can make that connection more direct."
