Digitizing the 1st Mile with Blockchain, AI, and Self Sovereign Identity Connecting Coffee Farmers from Field to 1st Sip in Sustainable Supply Chains with Farmer Connect (CEO, Michael Chrisment)
- S1E52
- 22:24
- February 1st 2021
Think about the journey of a coffee bean from East Africa to the consumer. Thousands of miles away in the 1 sip to field wrapped in a complex, and often unsustainable, inequitable supply chain. There are 25 million people living in the coffee ecosystem, and 2.5 billion coffee drinkers worldwide, and that number is expected to 2-3X in coming years.
With little transparency and traceability, it's still a challenge for consumers to validate the sustainability and ethics of that 1st sip of morning brew and also ensure that farmers are receiving fair wages and decent acceptable working conditions. Data ownership down to farmer and privacy are important as we digitalize the first mile; farmers and owners should own data and should benefit from monetization of information they catalyze. What if there was a way to humanize consumption through technology, putting empathy at the center of the solution and supply chains?
Meet Farmer Connect. In episode 52, host Sheri Hinish chats with Farmer Connect's CEO Michael Chrisment about building a sustainable ecosystem using technology that connect farmers and consumers, even whereby consumers can tip the farmer responsible for a good cup of joe. How cool is this!?!?!
Episode 52 unpacks an inspiring mission with Farmer Connect, an IBM Blockchain partner, who urges us to think about the legacy we are leaving our children and how we can use technology to address economic empowerment, climate change, and biodiversity in the world we share. They think tech should bring people together, make the world smaller, more inclusive, empower the individual and small business while reducing costs and inefficiencies for global enterprises. How does it happen? Using several emerging technologies, such as blockchain, self-sovereign identity, and artificial intelligence. Questions we chat about include:
- Coffee Supply Chain – why do we need a solution like FarmerConnect? Can you share a bit about the unmet need Farmer Connect fills?
- Lifecycle journey in traceability for supply chain provenance– how does it work?
- A huge tenet of Farmer Connect is inclusion – transforming the lives of smallholders by empowering ESG. Tell me more…
- Values – the world needs more empathy. Why is this at the heart of your solution and how do you prioritize your values in partnerships/business?
To learn more about Farmer Connect, visit https://www.farmerconnect.com/
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Supply Chain Revolution
The Supply Chain Revolution podcast is a series focused on the latest trends and innovations in sustainability and supply chain management. The podcast is hosted by Sheri Hinish, also known as the Supply Chain Queen, who is a sustainability consultant and digital transformation expert, and features interviews with a wide range of supply chain professionals, thought leaders, and entrepreneurs.
The podcast covers a variety of topics related to the supply chain revolution, including digital transformation, sustainability, circular economy, diversity and inclusion, and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, data analytics, and robotics. Each episode features in-depth discussions and insights from guests, providing a valuable resource for supply chain professionals looking to stay up-to-date on the latest trends and best practices in the field.
The Supply Chain Revolution podcast is known for its engaging and thought-provoking content, and has been featured in numerous publications and media outlets. It is a great resource for anyone interested in learning more about the rapidly evolving world of supply chain management, and for professionals seeking to improve their skills and stay ahead of the curve in this dynamic field.
Join podcast host, Sheri Hinish also called the Supply Chain Queen, and reimagine the future of how we interact with the world and business in the decade of our lives. In each episode, provocative points of view that challenge paradigms for progress are evangelized holding the SDGs, purpose, and diversity as a business imperative as a North Star. This is the TOP Supply Chain podcast unpacking the future of supply chain that explores shifts in generational, social, environmental, technological, and "the people side" of leading change in transformation.
The Supply Chain Revolution is the supply chain podcast that highlights progressive ideas that challenge the status quo, giving people access to insights, strategies, and tools to make better choices that shape critical aspects of their business and personal lives, building transformational change for a better, sustainable world.
This is the supply chain podcast for supply chain leaders, thinkers, dreamers, doers, learners, builders, and supply chain professionals who want to change the world using a different approach to traditional supply chain, leadership, circular economy, digital transformation, sustainability, diversity and inclusion, technology, strategy, and camaraderie to create new ways of working in the supply chain revolution. We are an inclusive group where all are welcomed and represented.
Learn more at http://www.supplychainqueen.com
The host Sheri Hinish believes supply chains can save the planet, save lives, and transform traditional business models. Recognized as 2022, 2021, 2020 & 2019 Supply & Demand Chain Executive "Pro to Know," a 2021 Top 100 Women in Supply Chain Award winner, and recipient of the 2020 Global Women Supply Chain Leaders Award, Sheri Hinish is a leading advocate, strategist, and influencer in supply chain, sustainability & the SDGs, leading with purpose, and change management in digital transformations. She is a Principal and Global Lead for Innovation + Ecosystem at EY and formally the Global Lead for Sustainability, Alliances, and Strategy at IBM.
Top Podcast Exploring #SupplyChain #Sustainability #CircularEconomy #Technology #Diversity and #Innovation
Learn more at supplychainqueen.com
My purpose is to make a meaningful impact for the clients, colleagues, partners, and communities I serve. I have spent my career at the intersection of supply chain, sustainability and innovation in large-scale transformation. I’d love to walk with you on your journey.
I'm the Founder and Host of the Supply Chain Revolution podcast. In my day role, I currently serve as the Global Consulting Sustainability Services, Technology + Ecosystems Leader at EY serving across sectors, alliances, sustainability solutions, and digital ventures. I formerly led Sustainability Services + Alliances at IBM with a passion for sustainable supply chain, circularity, and hardening emerging sustainability tech use cases.
Colleagues and clients affectionately call me the nickname “Supply Chain Queen.” I'm recognized as a trusted partner that F500 companies consistently leverage for connected transformation, end-to-end digital supply chain, purpose-driven leadership, and disruptive thinking in embedding sustainability and emerging innovation in transformations.
Recent awards include: Top 250 leaders in Sustainability (2025), Leaders in Excellence, Supply & Demand Chain Executive (2025), Top 100 Women in Sustainability and Supply Chain (2024), Top 50 influencer in Sustainability by Onalytica (2023), 100 Women in 2023 by March8 Magazine, the 2021 #1 Supply Chain Leader by Supply Chain Digital, a 2022, 2021, 2020 & 2019 Supply & Demand Chain Executive "Pro to Know," the "People's Choice 2020 Global Woman in Supply Chain Leader,” and a Corporate Vision Excellence award in 2020.
I’m a Rebel who loves creating, building, and bringing out the best in people, helping to grow high-performance teams. I've made a career in turn-around and scaling high growth opportunities (product, solutions, infrastructure for practice areas and alliances), simplifying the complex, rethinking paradigms for F500 clients, mainly in CPG, Financial Services, Retail, Advanced Manufacturing, Chemicals and Energy.
I am a graduate lecturer in Sustainability at the University of Arkansas and have a Masters from Harvard University with emphasis in Sustainability + Liberal Arts. I hold 2 credentials from Rutgers University with highest distinction (Beta Gamma Sigma), an MS in Supply Chain Management, and a Mini-MBA in Digital Supply Chain. I also have a BS in Business, Supply Chain Management (Summa Cum Laude) from the University of Maryland. I hold an IBM Industry Academy Expert designation (in Consumer), Project Management Professional (PMP), and Lean Six Sigma Greenbelt.
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