FEATURE Era of We
Martin Löfberg is the Founder and Chairman of Era of We.
The era of we NEW TECHNOLOGIES ARE PROVIDING THE COFFEE INDUSTRY WITH GREATER LEVELS OF CONNECTION, TRANSPARENCY, AND VALUE CREATION, FROM THE COFFEE PRODUCER THROUGH TO THE END CONSUMER.
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he coffee supply chain has traditionally been shrouded in secrecy, with decisions of what information is made available and value addition firmly concentrated with the buyer. But new technologies and greater consumer demand for transparency are changing that. In June 2021, Era of We – an end-to-end digital marketplace and social networking platform for the coffee industry – was launched with the goal of reinventing the coffee supply chain and shifting the value of coffee back to the growers and consumers. “Era of We is a digital platform based on transparency, collaboration, and a new way to see the roles in the industry. It’s all about creating a higher value for coffee, starting with the farmers and empowering them in the industry,” says Martin Löfberg, Founder and Chairman of Era of We. “It enables farmers to create their own identities and brands and sell or market things other than coffee – their services, knowledge, and experience on the farms – to tell the story behind the coffee in a much broader way than before.” From farmers to general consumers, all members of the coffee supply chain are invited to join Era of We. Producers and estates can access the platform’s consulting and branding services to fine tune their craft and generate new revenue opportunities. Löfberg says this will ultimately enable producers and estates to set their own prices, rather than
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rely on the commodity exchange market to determine prices. “Over several decades, I’ve travelled to origin countries around the equator from Central and South America to Africa and Asia, and realised from talking to hundreds of coffee farmers around the world that there are hidden opportunities,” he says. “I’ve seen and tasted beautiful coffees the rest of the world doesn’t know or learn about. It would be fantastic to enable farmers
Era of We is designed to redistribute value creation throughout the supply chain.
