CASE STUDY

Re-inventing the coffee supply
chain with Era of We

Era of We is a platform that aims to revolutionize coffee procurement across its entire supply chain. It attempts to address the pricing crisis by ensuring equal opportunities for all stakeholders.

The project's initial goal was to create a proof of concept (POC) to assess user engagement and determine the capabilities and actions needed for future development. Since then, the project has grown and has multiple stakeholders. View the website

YEAR
Jan 2020 - July 2022

MY ROLE
I led the design team through all project phases, including research, wireframing, and product cycles, spanning 2 years. Additionally, I assumed the role of project manager midway through the project to enhance efficiency and minimize communication barriers within the team.

Coffee prices remain stagnant, mirroring those of the 1970s

The coffee industry is grappling with various challenges, notably a significant pricing crisis affecting farmers, leading to imbalance throughout the chain. This imbalance has exacerbated inequality among stakeholders, obscured coffee traceability, erected communication barriers, and eroded trust within communities. 

Defining the scale of the supply chain

The platform is designed to serve all participants in the coffee supply chain ecosystem, from the farms to the end consumers.

Estates

Lands on which the coffee farmers grow and harvest green coffee plantations.

Facilitator

The middle men of the chain that handle tasks from milling to trading while also providing support to the estates.

Roasters

They transform harvested green coffee beans into roasted products

Roaster's Customers

Customers include micro-roasterarys, hotels, retails, and cafe chains.

End Consumers

Coffee enthusiasts who savor and explore various coffee flavors.

Supply Zone

Consumption Zone

Gaining insights into the on-the-ground realities

To grasp the landscape, I conducted stakeholder interviews to gain insights into the field's pain points

Price determined by larger market value

"In today's competitive prices, we have to pay the price set by the food distributors which yields no profit. We are squeezed by them to make profits in the industry, causing generations of farmers to go out of business"

ESTATE FARMER

Lacks traceability and transparency

"There is no transparency about where the coffee is coming from. It is hard for us as roasters to achieve consistency when we are not able to form stable relationships with the estates and source coffee that is ethical and sustainable "

COFFEE ROASTER

Need for ethically sourced coffee

"We want transparency and a sustainable price for a cup of coffee. We want to know the true story to make conscious decisions as our choices have impacts on other people's lives"

COFFEE CONSUMER

How might we create equal opportunities for all stakeholders within the coffee supply chain?

The platform is engineered to transform coffee procurement throughout its supply chain, revitalizing the essence of trade with a user-friendly and lucrative platform. The objective was to build a sturdy foundation adaptable to the swift evolution of the industry.

Accommodating six distinct stakeholders, each with personalized logins, the platform fosters communication and collaboration within the trade. Every process is digitized, aiming for complete transparency and accountability. Additionally, it empowers farmers by placing them at the forefront, granting them autonomy to set their prices.

A linear communication chain

I conducted ecosystem mapping using data from my research to identify practices, behaviors, and pain points. This process highlighted the linear nature of the chain and the extent of disconnect within it.

Our research identified several issues within the supply chain that could be improved. In consideration of scalability and innovation, it was essential to focus our efforts and narrow our scope to achieve a more impactful change rather than addressing everything simultaneously.

Communication

• Language barriers among stakeholders situated in diverse regions
  
  
• The absence of direct communication and personal relationships between farmers and other stakeholders has resulted in a lack of trust, heightened knowledge-sharing barriers, and restricted feedback loops.

Ecosystem Imbalance

• A broken price system offers no opportunities for farmers, as prices are solely determined by larger market values
  
  

• Each stakeholder has solidified their position within the value chain, leaving little to no opportunity for fostering relationships with others.

Traceability & Transparency

• Baristas and cafes are often unaware of the various processes and challenges within the supply chain, which can lead to misinformation being passed on to customers
  
  
• Roasters experience inconsistency in the coffee they receive due to the lack of knowledge about its origin.

Navigating challenges to digitize the entire supply chain in 10 months.

1. Global Communication
Stakeholders were based globally, which brought in language and time-zone barriers.

2. Pandemic Circumstances
The COVID-19 pandemic coincided with the start of the project, limiting field visits and increasing reliance solely on online research and conversations.

3. Technical Limitations
The majority of stakeholders were not accustomed to utilizing online platforms for their business operations. Consequently, the transition to the new system was accompanied by an anticipated steep learning curve for users.

4. Lack of precedent
Being the first of its kind, I relied solely on user feedback and continuous iterations as its guiding principles throughout the project

5. Respecting existing paradigms
The goal was not to disrupt the existing system but to translate it into a digital environment while removing hurdles of communication and transparency.

Analyzing the industry

To evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the platform features, I conducted a competitor analysis focusing on indirect competitors.

Given the platform's coverage of various aspects such as e-commerce, subscriptions, coffee chains, and brand building, I specifically targeted competitors with technological capabilities and potential strategic partnerships.

Key Insights:

Contribution to the farmer - The majority of the applications work towards raising donations for the farmer to improve their livelihood.

Native Application - Nearly all stakeholders utilize applications featuring modern technologies such as blockchain.

Rate each stakeholder - Most competitors lack a review and feedback loop system involving all stakeholders.

THE SOLUTION

The re-invented supply chain

In an age where everything is demanding your time, Era of We gives you time to make informed decisions from anywhere in the world in a fast, effortless, and educative way. The platform opens up communication barriers with more digital opportunities.

With over 20+ unique modules built across the platform, each with its unique aim to enhance and provide an all-in-one experience – it manages to bring back ownership of the processes to each of the stakeholders.

Empowering the estates to showcase their identity

 
One of the critical journeys within the chain involves roasters procuring green coffee from the estates. However, farmers currently face significant financial challenges due to the lack of clarity in the pricing system, involvement of multiple intermediaries, absence of stable relationships, and limited opportunities to showcase their story.

The objective was to streamline the procurement of green coffee beans from the estates to roasters, addressing the following key issues:

1. The platform offers numerous opportunities for estates to establish and promote their brand and coffee, empowering them to set their prices.
2. Roasters benefit from a wide selection of estates to choose from, and the platform fosters trust by facilitating relationship-building and product verification before purchase.
3. It encourages healthy competition among estates, fostering a sense of community and facilitating knowledge-sharing for equal growth opportunities.
   

Enabling accountability with traceability

The research identified a significant traceability gap within the coffee supply chain, with 70% of consumers, baristas, and cafes lacking awareness of coffee processes due to opaque practices despite their involvement in the trade.

I collaborated closely with developers to implement accountability checks within our systems. This enables users to trace product information via QR codes. Additionally, I integrated information points throughout the system, allowing users to personalize their stories and share them with customers, thereby enhancing brand credibility. The goal was not only to improve traceability but also to educate users with comprehensive information.

Tearing down communication barriers

To foster communication and trust among all stakeholders, I implemented a chat-based messaging system that supports multi-lingual translations, ensuring users feel comfortable and understood.

Additionally, the tool has introduced a feedback loop system at various stages of the chain. This allows stakeholders to raise disputes and voice concerns, further enhancing trust and transparency.

FACILITATOR INCLUSION

Instead of eliminating, including facilitators 

One of the primary challenges faced during the project was transitioning facilitator processes from paper to digital formats. Currently, most processes are documented and followed through a paper trail, resulting in several opaque steps.

During the digitization process, many steps remained unchanged due to their established nature. My main objective was to enhance the documentation and streamline the user experience by following these processes. The platform meticulously captures each process by adhering to predefined rules, facilitating tracking by both estates and facilitators. Additionally, it fosters communication through an integrated chat system and assigns a dedicated team member for each service.