Starbucks Launches Digital Coffee Traceability Tool to Highlight Global Coffee Farmers

As another milestone in Starbucks ongoing commitment to responsibly sourced coffee, the company has launched its Digital Traceability tool, where customers can trace their favourite coffee and learn more about the people behind each bag. This launch is a part of Starbucks larger strategy to provide greater awareness of the farmers who make possible the high quality, ethically sourced arabica coffee that’s a hallmark for the brand.

As part of C.A.F.E. (Coffee and Farmer Equity) Practices, Starbucks coffee is 100% traceable, which means the company knows where the beans come from, the names of the farmers and the price paid to each of them for the coffee. Now, Starbucks is extending that transparency to its customers.

Here’s  what you need to know:

· The Starbucks® Digital Traceability tool transforms each bag of coffee beans into a digital passport, taking coffee lovers on a virtual expedition to meet farmers, roasters, and baristas covering more than 30 origin countries and offering the ability to track multi-region coffee blends.

· The digital traceability tool will allow customers and partners (employees) to:

o Learn more about Starbucks approach to responsibly sourcing coffee.

o Discover the origins of each bag of coffee and meet a farmer growing coffee in that region.

o Learn where and how the coffee was roasted and meet a roasting plant partner.

o Read tasting notes, brewing recommendations and insights from a store partner.

o See Starbucks ongoing support of coffee communities and be directed to learn more.

o The ability to digitally connect the journey of our coffee from the first 10 feet at origin to the last 10 feet in our stores unlocks greater social and economic support for farmers around the world.

Starbucks is committed to 100% ethically sourced coffee in partnership with Conservation International. This foundation powers Starbucks Traceability and has helped the company create a long-term supply of high-quality coffee and positively impact the lives and livelihoods of coffee farmers and their communities. Providing Traceability for each bag of coffee ensures the human connection Starbucks is built on extends beyond cafés to those who make coffee possible.

Starbucks whole bean packaged coffees available in company-operated and licensed stores in Canada will be available to trace digitally with this new online tool. To trace coffee, Canadians can visit traceability.starbucks.com on their smartphone or laptop.

Starbucks Digital Traceability is powered by Microsoft’s Azure Blockchain Service, which traces both the movement of the coffee and its transformation from bean to final bag.

Media release and image provided by Meredith Blok, Talk Shop Media.