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C Photo / Julio Deras

New Opportunities producers do not have this. But many do, and many small
producer organizations that didn’t have contact with the
Why have these innovations accelerated in the last 9 supply chain beyond their town now can. Physical transpor-
months? I can only describe personal experience. For me, tation infrastructure is still a significant impediment to
it’s a combination of time availability and desperation. I supply chain efficiency and improved producer income. But
would have never had time to create the ‘Coffee Economics hopefully this can be mitigated by new found efficiencies in
with Karl’ YouTube series if I had been out surveying farms other areas. Information, including supply chain transpar-
and cupping with clients during this harvest season. I would ency data continues to be manipulated, but hopefully as the
have never been able to justify taking the time I spent on industry develops a more nuanced understanding of the
that away from more mission-critical activities that actually context, this will be more easily identified.
sell coffee. When sales volumes crashed and I felt totally help- The best currently available tools and solutions are
less to do anything about it in April, I was looking for anything probably not the last solutions. What’s important is that each
I could possibly do to try to remain engaged from my apartment. subsequent version is better than the last, and that we are
Without the YouTube series, I probably wouldn’t have decided thinking critically and striving to improve.
to put together the coffee Supply Chain course. And had we Sure, there is no substitute for personal contact. But
been able to visit producers and roasters one-on-one like nor- there is a lot we can accomplish without it. Moreover, by
mal, we probably wouldn’t have created our expanded trans- sacrificing some of the friendship and socialization that make
parency dossiers and verification system. If we do make it jobs more enjoyable, using technology to get as close as we
through to the other side, we will be better off for having can, we just might open the doors for more individuals, those
spent the resources to develop these tools. without the same access to material resources, those located
Technology can’t yet solve all of our problems and in geographies that were shut out previously, to participate
hasn’t yet created a reality that’s just as good as the pre- more actively in the coffee supply chain, to make operations
COVID one in all ways. There are still some significant gaps more efficient, to reduce the carbon footprint, and put more
to fill. Much of the use of technology requires an internet heads together to innovate faster with the perspectives of
connection and an internet-enabled device. Many coffee more stakeholders in mind than ever before.

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