Europe-based coffee professionals Elisa Criscione and Sara Morrocchi have created three upcoming webinars to explore the use of digital tools in the coffee chain.
BY CHRIS RYAN
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE
About a year ago, Elisa Criscione began investigating the topic of digitalization in coffee. With the coffee supply chain plagued by problems ranging from low C-market prices to the effects of climate change and beyond, Elisa started exploring whether improved digital systems such as online trading and traceability platforms could create a more sustainable and secure coffee supply chain—and one that could benefit coffee farmers in particular.
Now, Elisa has pursued these ideas to create Digital Coffee Future, a series of three webinars taking place in May and June focused on digitalization in the coffee value chain. Created by Elisa, who runs the consulting company Expressing Origin, and Sara Morrocchi, founder of VUNA Origin Consulting, the Digital Coffee Future series will bring together various experts to explore the topic from several angles.
When Elisa initially talked to coffee pros about digitalization in coffee, many expressed skepticism about this potential solution, including doubts about the technology and difficulty understanding the different options. “So, the whole idea of creating a bigger conversation on coffee digitalisation came up,” says Elisa, “with the objective to provide, first, some clarity around the topic and, second, to offer concrete and technical answers to the industry.”
To bring the series to life, Elisa decided to partner with another consultant in Sara Morrocchi, who has worked in the value chain in coffee communities for over a decade. “I was immediately on board,” Sara says. “Through our respective companies, we both want to provide tangible solutions to digitalize coffee. While Expressing Origin is supporting coffee companies in digitalizing their value chains and tech providers implementing their digital solutions, VUNA wants to support coffee companies in their own digital growth and consumer engagement online. We approach the subject from different angles, and we build on each other’s strengths.”
Next, Elisa and Sara worked together to design the three webinars. The first session, titled “What is digitalization?” taking place this Thursday, May 28, lays a framework for the series; Elisa and Sara will be joined by speakers Ashlee Tuttleman of IDH and Vera Espindola Rafael of Azahar Coffee Company. Of the first session, Elisa says, “If we don’t categorise these solutions and their functionalities with a tailor-made approach for the coffee sector as an industry, everyone will always be confused about the real meaning (and potential) of digitalisation.”
The second session, “Can digitalisation help the coffee sector be more efficient?” on June 11, will gather perspectives from companies and organisations that have been using digital solutions for their own businesses, including Isabel van Bemmelen of Progreso; Richard Bliault of Algrano; Yorick Bruins of Wakuli; and Ivania Rivera from Aldea Global. The final webinar, “How can digitalisation be implemented in the coffee sector?” on June 25, will focus on how digital tools can be integrated into the value chain, with speakers to be confirmed.
With the seminars now scheduled, Elisa and Sara are excited to offer their digital exploration in the digital realm. While Elisa originally planned to have the discussion during a session at the upcoming World of Coffee in Warsaw, that event’s postponement from June to October led her to bring the series online, which Sara sees as a benefit as more people are connecting on the web amid the pandemic. “Travel restrictions have prompted the industry to leverage digital platforms and tools to remain engaged,” Sara says. “And while the physical space has been decreased to our own ‘four walls,’ I feel the digital space just got bigger and better. We just had our very first #ExpoWeekend, and it proved how much can be shared online. … Online coffee content is having a massive surge.”
Digital Coffee Future is also open to sponsors that wish to support the series; interested potential sponsors can email Elisa at hello@digitalcoffeefuture.com. The webinars are free and open to all attendees—to register, sign up at the website.
