LONDON, United Kingdom – World Coffee Alliance (WCA), a leading network alliance of coffee industry professionals and stakeholders, producing critical insights including market research, due diligence reports and technical advice to the actors in the global coffee value chain, will hold the Final Episode of the WCA TECHNOCOFFEE INNOVATION SERIES: DIGITAL INTEROPERABILITY: is there an end game? on 12 October 2022 from 2-5 pm BST (UK time).
Joseph de Villiers, CEO and Founder of World Coffee Alliance (WCA) said, “This third and final episode is the culmination of our search for answers for digital traceability in the coffee industry. I am happy to announce our Keynote and our final speakers’ line-up, who will flesh out some of the intricate and complex issues and potential solutions that interoperability brings.”
“I would also like to thank our sponsors, ACE (Cup of Excellence) (Episode Sponsor), AgUnity (Solution Provider Sponsor) and FarmersDirectCoffee (Panel One Sponsor), who are all supporting WCA on these online events to get into the bottom of what are the real and meaningful issues and practical solutions we need to tackle in our pursuit of digital interoperability in coffee”, he added.
Dr Leonard Mizzi, Head of Unit at INTPA, European Commission, our Keynote said, “The difficult economic environment that the world is experiencing, accentuated by COVID and the illegal war of aggression against Ukraine, is having a major impact on already tense local, and international agricultural markets. Many actions, under the UN auspices are unfolding, to calm the markets and enhance price transparency. More coordinated policy responses are required, and this meeting will delve deep into how digital applications can be part of the toolbox from bean to coffee cup.”
“But we need more evidence on how we can reach the weakest part of the value chain- small coffee producers in Africa, Latin America or Asia- to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Only a more inclusive and a multistakeholder approach can unleash the full potential of the Digital Agenda”, he added.
Darrin Daniel, Executive Director, ACE (Cup of Excellence) our Episode Sponsor said, “As the Episode Sponsor for this event, on behalf of ACE, we are deeply honored to support WCA and be their Inspirational Speaker at this interoperability event. We are conscious of the fact that there is an imbalance in the specialty coffee market today. I will highlight in my speech our determination to provide an auction platform aimed at improving market access and financial compensation for coffee producers while creating more transparency and connections in the supply chain.”
David Davies, CEO and Founder, AgUnity, our Solution provider Sponsor commented, “At AgUnity, we are working on eradicating poverty using blockchain technology and our AgUnity platform. We provide farmers with a smartphone, pre-loaded with the AgUnity app where we connect ‘Last Mile' smallholder farmers and rural communities enabling financial inclusion through the provision of digital identity and digital proof of income and assets. This allows farmers to achieve more profitable, sustainable and resilient agricultural practices.”
Ward de Groote, COO and Co-Founder, FarmersDirectCoffee said “We are glad to support the WCA Interoperability virtual event as Panel One sponsor. In this debate, we will highlight how under Direct Trade, coffee farmers get a better deal and explain how roasters and consumers get better access to their preferred coffee beans from all over the world. By shortening the coffee supply chain, we can use Open Source Blockchain technology to connect all the dots to provide a level playing field for all the stakeholders in the coffee value chain.”
Digital Interoperability is the topic for the final Episode (3) of WCA Trilogy in Digital Traceability. This virtual event will focus on how technology companies providing solutions to reach a consensus on standards and guidelines for interoperability to foster an ecosystem for innovation in which technology solution providers can build products that are interoperable. Panel speakers will also flesh out some highlights in the forthcoming EU Due Diligence legislations that will affect coffee importations, supply chain and traceability compliance, ESG—centric protocols.
Confirmed Speakers include Dr. Leonard Mizzi, Head of Unit INTPA, European Commission (KEYNOTE), Darrin Daniel, Executive Director, ACE(Cup of Excellence)(INSPIRATIONAL SPEAKER),Tomoko Yokoi, Researcher and Digital Transformation Advisor, IMD (MODERATOR),Ward de Groote, COO and Co-Founder, FarmersDirectCoffee, Lars Kahnert, Digitalisation Advisor, GIZ, Carolina Castaneda, Director Europe, Federacion Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia (FNC BV), Allen Gunn, Executive Director, ASPIRATION (MODERATOR) Matthew Himmel, Director, Strategic Intelligence Systems, COMMITTEE ON SUSTAINABILITY ASSESSMENT (COSA),Pauline Elise Taupin, Partnership and Project Manager, ELUCID.SOCIAL and Mette-Marie Hansen, Managing Director, KenyaCof at SUCAFINA.
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