Microsoft, Starbucks partner to trace coffee using Azure Blockchain platform

International coffee chain Starbucks has teamed up with tech titan Microsoft to trace coffee using blockchain technology, GeekWire reported.

In March 2018, Starbucks revealed its plans to launch a pilot program – its “bean to cup” initiative – with select coffee farmers in Costa Rica, Colombia and Rwanda for traceability of coffee beans using blockchain technology.

Earlier this year, Starbucks previewed a coffee traceability feature for the Starbucks mobile app. The company said that customers will be eventually able to use the app to trace the journey of Starbucks packaged coffees.

At the recently held Microsoft’s Build developers conference, the two companies have now announced a number of initiatives they are working on together.

In an update to an online post, Starbucks said:

“Microsoft announced on May 6 that it is partnering with Starbucks on its digital traceability technology, using the Microsoft Azure Blockchain platform.”

Last week, Microsoft announced its fully-managed blockchain service, Azure Blockchain Service, which will help simplify the formation, management, and governance of consortium blockchain networks. It also announced J.P. Morgan’s Quorum as the first distributed ledger platform available through the service, adding that Quorum customers like Starbucks, Louis Vuitton, and others would be able to use Azure Blockchain Service to quickly expand their networks with lower costs.

Using Microsoft Azure Blockchain platform, the companies aim to connect coffee drinkers with coffee farmers, who could benefit from new financial opportunities. Starbucks plans to open source the pilot program and share its findings.

Other areas where the two companies are collaborating include predictive drive-thru ordering and connected coffee- makers.