Starbucks to test out bean-to-cup blockchain

Starbucks is to implement Microsoft’s recently announced Azure Blockchain Service to track coffee production.

As reported by GeekWire, the idea is to connect coffee drinkers with coffee farmers, who can potentially then take advantage of new financial opportunities. Customers will be able to use the Starbucks mobile app to trace the journey of their coffee from the farm where the beans originate all the way to their cup. Starbucks has promised to open source the pilot programme and share what it learns.

Other projects in the works include predictive drive-thru ordering and connecting IoT-enabled equipment at different cafe locations. Further details here.