Four-year-old Auckland business Olivia is reportedly the first small to medium enterprise in Australasia to adopt blockchain in food traceability.
Olivia director Jerry Ho, who is also chair of the New Zealand Green Industry Association, says global depletion of food source and the rising concerns of food authenticity were a major reason by setting up a blockchain system for credibility and sustainability.
“We are helping feed an over-populated planet and time is running out unless we start changing things for the better as we help to feed Asia and other parts of the world,” he says.
The Auckland operation’s main product is Mighty Moo milk powder. They are providing authentic, clean and green New Zealand product to children from three years to 12 years old.
Olivia is exporting more than $2 million worth of product, which is made in Auckland, Waikato, Invercargill and on the Gold Coast. The company manufactures milk powder, breakfast cereals, cookies, probiotics and pregnancy powder.
All products are made in New Zealand and Australia and all ingredients are sourced locally or from overseas.
One of the major suppliers of their vitamin is DSM which is a Dutch multinational prominent in health, nutrition and materials.
Their technology partner is UK based firm Provenance which is a blockchain provider that provides product transparency and traceability which enhances food security.
“The blockchain verifies our business and supplier profiles for greater supply chain integrity and substantiates our claims with data gathered from across the supply chain,” Ho says.
“The system demonstrates our social and environmental impact at every point in the chain and reduces risk by proving the authenticity of our goods. It’s like a digital passport for every product, linked to every individual item.
“The economic implication of blockchain supply for New Zealand businesses is huge and it adds value to New Zealand’s clean green, authentic environment,” he says.
A new organisation, FoodTechNZ, will be launched in July, as part of the NZTech alliance, and Ho will be its first chairman.
