CropConex Partners With The Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority
CropConex is a supply chain management platform for green coffee professionals, helping streamline the sales and movement of green coffee across the supply chain.
In 2017, the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority (ECTA) introduced vertical integration, a scheme that connected exporters directly to suppliers or farmers as an alternative to trade export for coffee on a platform facilitated by the Ethiopian Coffee Exchange (ECX). While this has liberated the market for direct trade relationships to develop, it has also increased the risks associated with these new contracts and a rise in defaulted contracts.
Over the past two years, our team has worked with coffee producers, exporters, and international buyers to collect and analyze comprehensive data about the current challenges faced by the Ethiopian coffee sector. The goal of the research was to systemize and categorize opportunities for improvement so suppliers can become more competitive in the global market.
After diligent industry research and collaboration with ECTA, we have worked to deeply understand the biggest barriers to trade for the local coffee sector. Some of the largest points of vulnerability include:
- Fragmented market coordination
- Limited traceability and visibility
- Quality inconsistencies
- Delayed payment to suppliers
- Limited supply chain infrastructure
- Working capital constraints
As a part of our ongoing efforts to support the Ethiopian coffee sector, CropConex and the Coffee and Tea Authority partnered in early 2022 to collaborate on solutions to some of the biggest challenges the industry is facing. To support this effort, we built a customized extension to the CropConex platform where ECTA can log in with secure access to manage the digitization of vertically integrated contracts. This access portal offers better visibility into the country’s sales trends and a secure way to enforce the contracts entered between buyer and seller. Now, we are now preparing to launch the platform to offer some solutions and improve the trust, coordination, and efficiency of the supply chain with new and innovative payment solutions.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to continue to drive value to the coffee sector locally and globally.”
Brianna Dickey, Founder & CEO
The CropConex software platform was developed with a simple goal in mind- to help coffee professionals thrive. Our platform connects the trading infrastructure in one digital ecosystem and systematically breaks down the barriers to local and international trade. CropConex’s vetted marketplace and groundbreaking tools provide the best opportunity for green coffee professionals to streamline and prosper.
