Cardano Foundation Partners with Georgian National Wine Agency
The partnership centers around a blockchain-based traceability solution to support the growth of Georgia’s wine sector
Georgia, September 8-13, 2022 – Cardano Foundation representativesMel McCann (VP of Engineering) and Jeremy Firster (Head of Partnerships and Executive Officer) visited Tbilisi, Bolnisi and Telavi within Cardano-Scantrust pilot program to implement blockchain-based traceability solution supporting the growth of Georgia’s wine sector. A women-driven Baia’s Winery was the first winery throughout the world to participate in the pilot, yielding the increase in international sales after applying Scantrust’s QR-codes on their bottles. Georgia’s National Wine Agency decided to increase the scale of the pilot by introducing Bolnisi appellation consisting of 13 territories and approximately 20 wineries participating in the project.
Cardano representatives met with Bolnisi wine makers at the local Agrocenter to present the blockchain-based traceability solution and future partnership opportunities. After the meeting, they had an opportunity to move to local winemakers’ wine cellars and visit vineyards that have almost 8000 years of tradition of wine making.
Cardano representatives also had an opportunity to visit the Kakheti region which is more established in the winemaking industry and produces/exports much bigger quantities of wine yearly. Shumi Winery owner Akaki Tsopurashvili hosted guests at the harvest in the bio vineyard located in Didkure Terroir, Napareuli Village, Kakheti and presented the unique qualities of the rich local soil that enables growing different grape varieties throughout the Kakheti region.
On September 10, 2022, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed at the temporary office of Georgian National Wine Agency by Guram Avkopashvili, Founder Bolnisi Winemakers Union, and Levan Mekhuzla, Chairman of Georgian National Wine Agency, with Mel Mc Cann, VP of Engineering at Cardano Foundation, present. Within this partnership, which also includes Scantrust, Bolnisi wine makers will be able to protect the authenticity of their products by using Cardano-Scantrust stickers.
Zurich, 14 September 2022 – Cardano Foundation will—in collaboration with Georgia’s National Wine Agency, plus the Bolnisi Winemakers Association and Scantrust — create a solution on the Cardano blockchain to ensure the quality and authenticity of Georgian wine. Together, the four partners will develop a flexible, public track and trace solution to strengthen Georgia’s international reputation as a premium wine producer.
Mel McCann, Vice President of Engineering, Cardano Foundation, said: “The Cardano Foundation prides itself on technical integration initiatives that foster the development of solutions for companies and systems of all kinds. This collaboration will develop a creative, cost-effective, and flexible certification and traceability system, which will provide transparency and authenticity for wineries and customers from point of harvest to point of consumption.”
The partnership, spearheaded by the Cardano Foundation, will support individual wineries by developing a shared, scalable platform that is cost-effective for winemakers and increases customer engagement. A pilot program will be expanded in the Bolnisi region, serving both local and export markets. It will include up to 100,000 bottles of wine harvested during the Autumn 2022 period and subsequently bottled during Spring 2023. The bottles will carry a special label with a unique and secure QR code that allows consumers to check the authenticity of products and learn all about their history.
Additionally, the National Wine Agency will use the Cardano blockchain to create public, verifiable records from existing wine certification data on wine targeted for export markets.
Guram Avkopashvili, Founder, Bolnisi Winemakers Association, said: “Our goal is to produce and export 12 million bottles of wine in Bolnisi in 10 years. Currently we produce a total of 200,000 bottles of wine, which we sell to the Georgian, European, US, Australian, and Chinese markets. If we are to grow beyond this, we must enhance trust in our products. As such, this track and trace solution on Cardano is fundamental to us achieving our goal.”
Nathan Anderson, CEO of Scantrust said: “The team at Scantrust is thrilled to work with Cardano Foundation on this exciting project. Trust and integrity are integral to both of our organizations. Adding the Scantrust secure QR code provides a reliable interface to make product information, such as the product origin and detailed supply chain information available to consumers and protects products from counterfeiting. This, paired with the speed and low cost of the Cardano blockchain, means that supply chain traceability with publicly verifiable data can be deployed at scale. We’re proud to be a part of the Georgian National Wine Agency journey in bringing trust and reliability to its customers”
Levan Mekhuzla, Chairman, Georgian National Wine Agency, said: “People around the world deserve to experience Georgian wine as it is intended, a celebratory and exceptional drink that we have cultivated for over 8,000 years. For fans of exceptional wines, this partnership with the Cardano Foundation, Scantrust, and Bolnisi Winemakers Association will help assure customers of the impeccable provenance of Georgian wine.”
Frederik Gregaard, CEO of the Cardano Foundation said: “At the Cardano Foundation, we are focused on developing secure, transparent, and accountable solutions for positive impact. This collaboration between Bolnisi Winemakers Association, Scantrust, and the Georgian National Wine Agency is a perfect example of blockchain being used to solve a real-world problem—enhancing trust. We look forward to working with the Georgian wine industry over the coming years to showcase how the Cardano blockchain can improve traditional enterprise.”
About the Cardano Foundation
Cardano Foundation is the independent, non-profit organization responsible for stewarding the advancement of the public, permissionless blockchain platform Cardano. Its mission is to establish the Cardano blockchain as the future financial and social operating system of the world for generations to come. The Cardano Foundation aims to de-risk decentralization for regulators and organizations, while also giving the Cardano community the necessary tools and support to leverage the Cardano protocol to solve real world problems.
