Is this really Champagne? How blockchain helps consumers and farmers

Blockchain is a shared immutable ledger that allows the process of recording transactions and tracking assets. It is known worldwide as the base for cryptocurrencies.

But the technology is increasingly used in businesses, so that everyone, including consumers, can see exactly where products come from and where they go.

France’s produce, from wine and cheese to pork and beef, has been showcased this week at the annual Salon de l’agriculture in Paris. But as trade becomes more and more global, how can suppliers and consumers ensure they get what they pay for and know how the products are made?

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That’s where blockchain technology can play a role, according to the sales director of Crystalchain, a French technology company that started in 2016.

“With blockchain technology, you can track in the financial or crypto world, but basically you can track any kind of data,” says Hugo Sereys to CGTN Europe. “For us, the basic use of the blockchain is to keep information in the blockchain, secure in the blockchain, nobody can delete or change it.”

He says the cloud-based software began as a response to growing consumer demand to know more about products and their production chain, but is increasingly needed by companies to demonstrate CSR, or corporate social responsibility policies.

“Now our customers are using traceability data to ensure their commitment to CSR to prove to the end customer that they are truly on their way to making a good impact on the planet,” he adds.

Crystalchain has customers all over Europe. Bordeaux-based Cordier wines are one. Communications manager Caroline Galmard says there is a limit to how much information can fit on a label – so a QR code can give consumers much more information about the product.

“The beauty of blockchain for me is to connect the person who makes the wine to the person who drinks the wine again,” says Galmard. “Because [previously] there is a gap between the one who made the wine and the one who drinks the wine. With blockchain now, there’s not a gap.”

From deforestation and the use of chemicals to sustainable water use, there are many areas of corporate responsibility that can remain hidden from the end consumer. Many now believe blockchain technology will be further expanded across the business world as the demand for transparency, traceability and accountability increases.

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