Randeep Melhi wants to rethink the relationship between food consumers and producers. ¡°Imagine having a cup of coffee in Tokyo and scanning a QR code to find out who grew the coffee beans,¡± he says. ¡°Then imagine being able to tip the producer directly from your smartphone.¡±
Melhi¡¯s vision of the future isn¡¯t too far off. As chief commercial and chief operating officer of the blockchain technology company ¡ª which has offices in five countries, including Japan ¡ª he¡¯s well aware of blockchain¡¯s potential to revolutionize food supply chains.
Emurgo¡¯s blockchain-based traceability solution, launched last year, is being used by 500 coffee farmers in Indonesia. While the system doesn¡¯t yet support direct tips to producers, its benefits include empowering farmers to bargain for higher prices for their coffee as they¡¯re now able to prove what kind of beans they¡¯re growing, and how.
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