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The new normal Almost all coffee producers and consumers. As physical
bonds between the supply chain actors that have owned
At the organization I run, Cedro Alto, like all other bottlenecks in many supply chains historically have been
companies and organizations I’m sure, we have been des- traumatically pulled apart from one another and their bonds
perately rushing to innovate out of necessity hoping to stay strained, in a way, the playing field has been leveled for
afloat. We thought we just needed to hold out for a time, but other actors that have never had the ability to build relation-
now realizing things may never go back to what we once ships through the sharing of physical space.
knew as normal. So many people have been trying their best Technology, especially digital communication and
to add value for their supply chain partners and remain information sharing tools have played no small part in this
relevant from a distance, there is bound to be some degree increased access we now have to each other from a distance,
of reshuffling of roles and methods. and the ability to collaborate and operate complex systems
Tools and technology that we have had access to for involving many individuals with different skills more effec-
some time have been adopted and adapted to meet immedi- tively and efficiently. Monopolies of knowledge, or bottle-
ate and novel needs. New tools, methodologies, and customs necks in supply chains cause by exclusive access to infor-
have emerged. Some of these are band-aids and next-best- mation or the ability to communicate have long represented
things that will hold us over until we can be together again. competitive advantages for trading firms. This advantage
Others are more cost-effective, have lower carbon footprints, has been diminished over the years and surely is taking a
and are more inclusive than the ways we did things before. serious hit in 2020.
The use of these tools is probably here to stay and many will
likely benefit from the innovation and adoptions of such The tools
tools indefinitely.
A few especially compelling examples of evolution and
Closing the gap innovation in the coffee supply chain that I’ve witnessed or
experienced come to mind, though this is nowhere close to
Do you know who have always been socially distanced? an exhaustive list.

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