WATSONVILLE, CA - California Giant Berry Farms isn’t one to shy away from innovation—which is why when we heard about the berry grower’s blockchain compliance with IBM Food Trust we began anticipating all the operational possibilities that await California Giant and its partners. The integration of this game-changing technology expands on the company’s commitment to build trust with its trade partners and consumers by connecting all participants of the supply chain with permissioned visibility of immutable data.

“One of Cal Giant’s long-term strategic pillars is Farming The Future. Blockchain compliance through the IBM Food Trust was one of our innovation initiatives. I am pleased at the collaboration of our partners to be the first in our segment to accomplish this goal,” said Joe Barsi, President of California Giant. “It offers us opportunities to embrace and build upon the trust our brand carries around safety and premium quality of our products. As more companies become compliant, it will be exciting to see the overall improvements that will collectively be made around our food supply chain.”

The game-changing technology at California Giant’s back is Glasschain™ integration software, an all-encompassing event database that links California Giant and its customers’ ERP software and provides transparent visibility to the real-time status of the product—including harvest location and advanced shipping notifications—to distribution centers, according to a press release.

“This will allow Cal Giant and our partners to streamline and identify opportunities for improvement around operational efficiencies with a focus on freshness,” added Thomas Taggart, Senior Director of Operations, California Giant, before noting the advantages blockchain compliance creates for food safety. “The turnaround time of the traceback information is rapid. The COVID-19 pandemic has proven that our current food supply chain is extremely fragile, the adoption of blockchain can stabilize that fragility.”

Overall, the technology’s permanent information can help the entire supply chain be better informed with improved instantaneous data.

“Companies that are operationally mature can leverage this information around supply chain visibility and traceback data by having detailed conversations with their customers, presenting themselves as industry and category leaders,” said Peter Townsend, COO, Glassbit. “What Cal Giant has done is unique and continues to show industry leadership within their segment. It’s exciting to see more produce companies and retailers coming on board.”

California Giant Berry Farms’ goal is to deliver the best quality strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries when and where customers need them. The integration of this blockchain technology only further helps California Giant meet this goal, while also positioning itself at the head of the pack.

And, already many major players in the supply chain are benefiting from California Giant’s latest move.

"We applaud Cal Giant’s efforts to voluntarily enable visibility back to their berry farms. This mirrors our own work embracing innovative technologies to drive trust and transparency in our food supply chains,” said Tejas Bhatt, Senior Director, Global Food Safety Innovation, Walmart. “From leafy greens to bell peppers, Walmart has been digitizing its food supply chain using blockchain. This enables us to track food from farm to store and helps ensure it is fresh and safe when our customers buy it. By working together with more suppliers to further blockchain’s adoption, we can achieve a safer, smarter, more digital food system for everyone.”

As fresh produce continues to evolve in all the best ways, AndNowUKnow will continue covering this evolution with the latest industry news.

California Giant Berry Farms