Raw organic Arabica variety coffee beans and a glass espresso cup on a cafe bean
Most coffee advertisements show steaming cups of coffee. But Nespresso’s latest campaign shows actor George Clooney holding an empty cup of coffee. Why? The empty cup, a new campaign launched by the global coffee brand, is meant to spotlight the risk facing coffee farmers due to the threat of climate change. “The threat of climate change is real and coffee farmers are on the frontline. It’s vital that we empower these communities to build financial and environmental resilience, so that they not only survive but thrive and prosper.” says Clooney as Nespresso’s global brand ambassador.
Since most coffee growers are poor smallholders, their ability to adapt to climate change on their own is limited. Several public and private initiatives are underway to help farmers adapt by developing more resilient production systems, diversifying crops, moving to higher ground-which all require support. Digitalization is another way of facilitating this effort.
Collecting data, such as cost of production, yields, prices, and information about diseases can help reduce risk, increase transparency and enhance traceability in the global coffee supply chain. This data also serves as an important communication tool to inspire trust in consumers looking for high-quality coffee and to help industry players be seen as sourcing coffee equitably and sustainably.
The bulk of the data collection efforts, however, rests with individual producers and farmworkers who answer detailed questions with the aid of tables and smartphones. Oftentimes it is a cumbersome process, with farmers having to input the same data into four or five different systems given the current challenges in data and systems interoperability. Even though many systems grant producers ownership of their data, most don’t provide access to other data in the system or a comparative overview which could provide farmers with best practices and better insight. There’s no doubt that digitalization has many benefit; the key question, according to Joseph de Villiers of the World Coffee Alliance, is “how technology can be leveraged to make the coffee industry more equitable.”
In a recent discussion on the topic of digital interoperability, several coffee industry experts shared their insights. To make digitalization work, it’s about designing an approach that puts producers and farmers at the center, and leveraging technology to support these efforts.
According to Carolina Castaneda of the Colombian Coffee Growers Association (FNC BV), putting farmers at the center means to focus on their well-being. FNC undertake initiatives aligned with the United Nations Development Goals (SDGs) by providing technical services by virtual channels (emails, WhatsApp, calls, text messaging) and physical visits to help ensure stable harvest volumes; coffee growing education, improvement of social infrastructure, and promoting gender equity. To support such efforts, digital technologies should be user-friendly and developed in the language of the user. It should also ensure encryption and allow for connectivity, especially in remote areas.
For Ward de Groote of FarmersDirectCoffee, a Dutch-based social enterprise that helps coffee farmers forward-integrate into the supply chain, data and blockchain technologies can benefit farmers as long as the process is simplified and best practices are shared. Explains de Groote, “It’s important to share knowledge on best-in-class practices related to good agricultural and regenerative practices. That’s where the value of data comes from. Global regenerative coffee production is crucial to minimize climate impact.”
Darrin Daniel of Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE) concurs. “We put a value on product–excellence for coffee in quality and commitment. We should value the sharing of information and the commitment in time that is needed to gather this data. Without the farmers, there’s no coffee sector.”
But what is the key data needed to make digitalization work, and that is beneficial also for the farmer?
Cost of production and cost-price is important data for farmers. “What is at stake is a farmer’s dignity,” explains Castaneda. Key data points can also be focused on regions, altitude and product variety which provides more granularity to help develop best-in-class practices that helps with awareness and benchmarking. “Benchmarking information also facilitates access to loans,“ de Groote explains. ”Benchmarking leads to better production performance which definitely leads to better access to loans.”
“We are trying to figure out how we can get to a place of equality and balance in the global coffee supply chain,” elaborates Daniel. Digital technologies have the potential to facilitate the process, as long as it is used in the right way.
