To conclude the month of October, Ambrosus is excited to formally announce three partnerships concentrated on quality assurance and the end-to-end traceability of food products from around the world! More specifically, Ambrosus will be implementing industrial grade projects with (1) H!VE Honey — a traceability solution for the mass production and exportation of high-quality, manuka-style honey in the EU; (2) Blendhub — a decentralized platform for the production of powder-based foods; and (3) Flatev — a consumer oriented food technology company, focused on bringing quality baking into the kitchen.

In this post, the most recent partnership with H!VE Honey is discussed and explained, while further information surrounding Ambrosus’ collaborations with Blendhub and Flatev is also provided. Altogether, the three partnerships complete an exciting month of development and traction for AMB-NET; From powdered food, organic honey, and home-baked goods the Ambrosus ecosystem is expertly accommodating the needs of both mainstream and specialized food industries by providing new and innovative solutions for enterprises and consumers alike!

H!VE Honey — A European Manuka-style Honey Initiative

In a unique partnership between Ambrosus and H!VE Honey, the innovative and transformative potential of Ambrosus’ blockchain and IoT platform will be leveraged to create a sustainable market for all-natural, high quality honey within the European Union.

More specifically, the solution that has been put in place allows for local and specialized honey producers around Europe to utilize the blockchain-based Ambrosus Network as a core technological solution capable of proving the origin, journey, quality testing results, and certification of their honey products. The real benefit however comes from the transparency provided to the end-consumer: by marketing honey with QR codes attached to the packaging of the product, the honey producers in the collaborative stand to differentiate their honey as a ‘high-value product’ against the normally generic, diluted, and mass produced honey currently on the market. Practically speaking, with end-to-end traceability, the honey producers will be able to increase their profit margins based upon demonstrated quality assurance.

In terms of the scalability and future growth potential of the industrial project an upcoming legal directive is of particular importance: in December, 2019 a European Union Food Traceability Regulation will enter into force, requiring manufacturers and retailers to provide traceability and authenticity-based data for food, feed, and animals to EU authorities upon request (honey producers included). Ambrosus, working alongside a quality assurance partner, will be able to offer the entire honey industry an integrated solution capable of seamlessly complying with the regulation in question.

From such a context, Ambrosus has the opportunity to pioneer a revolutionary honey standard for European Union Member States: According to European Union legislation, once 5 of the 500 agri-food regions within the EU incorporate a certain standard for their quality testing purposes, this standard can then become a recognized food quality standard across Europe. As the Ambrosus honey standard would be a unique and original standard for honey producers in Europe — implemented to distinguish authentic, natural, and quality-tested honey products from the rest — the number of participants involved would rise significantly.

Altogether, the Ambrosus solution will create a new, sustainable, and high-value marketplace for all-natural and quality assured honey. As one of the most counterfeited products from around the world, the partnership is a win-win for all of the stakeholders involved:

As a natural, European food product, the brand image of European Union health and safety standards is enhanced through the practical implementation of a market friendly food solution concentrated on product quality.

For local honey keepers participating across Europe, the Ambrosus solution provides product-essential marketing and branding of the quality of their honey — indicating its true value for the first time — and allows them to distinguish their all-natural honey from the majority of ‘watered down’ or ‘faked’ honey products currently on the market. In turn, higher profits stand to be made in an honest manner.

For the end-consumers, authentic honey, packaged with a QR code, so as to guarantee product quality and illustrate end-to-end traceability, becomes available to purchase and consume in place of lesser-quality honey brands. With the scan of a smartphone the origin, shipping times, and quality controls of the specific jar of honey in question, become visible; Healthier decision-making, in turn, becomes a reality.

For Ambrosus, the project is only just getting started, as more and more honey producers from around the EU stand to realize the benefits of supply chain transparency, and additional value that can be fairly created. As a consumer-oriented solution, Ambrosus is proud to level the playing field for European honey producers across the continent, and to set a new standard of quality assurance.

Blendhub — Decentralised Quality Assurance of Powdered Foods

As food and innovation combine to create new and cost-effective business models, Ambrosus and Blendhub are practically realising the next-generation of quality-based powdered foods. More precisely, the two companies aim to deliver an unprecedented level of transparency and quality assurance to consumers shopping in the packaged food aisles around the globe.

From one side, Blendhub offers localisation of sourcing and production, global certification of ingredients, a worldwide community of food specialists, and blending quality control through proprietary technology. On the other hand, Ambrosus brings sensor technology, connectivity and data exchange via IoT and proprietary apps that allow tracking and tracing from the raw material provider down to the final customer, ensuring that the products preserve their properties and integrity along the way.

In terms of the specific solution at hand, Blendhub provides its customers with #CloudBlending, the first decentralised platform for the production of powder-based food. With production hubs covering the globe, #CloudBlending enables food brands to source and produce locally while maintaining their intellectual property and benefitting from the highest quality assurance and control. The platform empowers food brands to innovate and enter new markets while minimising costs, based on a simple pay-per-use model.

In this model, Blendhub is best understood as a global solution, already supporting startups in developing an entirely new product — from ideation to introducing it in local and international markets in just a few months. Meanwhile, bigger brands use the platform to localise production, manage production peaks, enable global contingency plans for existing production or innovate with new products without committing their current production centres and ratios.

By applying blockchain technology on ingredients, raw materials and end products from primary source to destination, Ambrosus enables Blendhub to track each one for time, temperature, logistical and materials stamping, offering additional proof of quality throughout the entire process. By integrating Ambrosus with Blendhub, manufacturers and end-consumers interested in the quality, journeys, and compositions of their materials stand to gain access to information hitherto inaccessible.

Flatev — A New Kitchen Experience

As a consumer-oriented food technology company, Flatev pioneers a new machine that functions as a ‘personal’ bakery. With Flatev, consumers can enjoy fresh artisan baked goods on demand and without compromise. Uniquely, all Flatev dough varieties are organic, non-GMO and free of artificial preservatives. Originally founded in 2015, Flatev has successfully commercialized its original baking solutions in Europe and North America. Most notably, it was awarded by the EIT Food program for its combined capsule and integrated flat bread machine system.

In terms of the specific solution at hand, Ambrosus and Flatev are combining food technology with blockchain and the internet of things in order to enable Flatev’s capsules to be read by an RFID reader to immediately connect with a consumer interface (iPad). As a distinguished consumer learning tool, the consumer interface will indicate to customers the nutrition values of their products, and provide a signed proof of origin of the capsules production. At the same time, the consumer can also check the true expiration date of the capsule after it was thawed and thereby obtain relevant tips for optimally topping the food produced by the Flatev machine.

Through such a collaboration, a new standard for home-baked goods can be created, that promises to be widespread in its global applicability: as more and more consumers become conscious of their ingredients true composition, where their ingredients were sourced from, and how they were preserved before reaching the kitchen, Flatev and Ambrosus pioneer a unique solution for enterprises and end-consumers offering home-baked goods.

Conclusion

As the month of October comes to an end, increased adoption of AMB-NET has never been so evident: from a European honey initiative involving four different Member States, to a decentralized and global network of powdered food systems, to the end-consumers own baked-goods machine, Ambrosus is steadily integrating into Food Industry 4.0. As the most holistic and consumer oriented solution currently on the market, Ambrosus continues to bring the much needed and cost-effective power of blockchain and Internet of Things-based solutions to the global food industry. In its many forms, AMB-NET is uniquely applicable to the largest and most complicated supply chains around the world, while also being easily integrated into more specialized and concentrated industry-specific solutions, and regulations. Altogether, the flexible network architecture and wide range of clientele indicates a bright future for the Ambrosus Ecosystem!