FROM WOODS TO THE MOBILE PHONE: Augmentin Maple Syrup supply chain with QuillTrace

This article projects light upon Maple Syrup: considered liquid gold, a thick popular natural sweetener produced from the circulating sap in the maple tree. Maple syrup is used in the confectionery, bakery, cereal, and dairy industries which may likely intensify the demand for maple syrup. North America is its largest market, the top consumers of maple syrup are Quebec, Vermont, and Ontario . Inevitably it is also part of the topmost adulterated food in the world. 

What is Maple Syrup?

Maple syrup is among the oldest natural food products produced in North America. It is a thick popular natural sweetener produced from the circulating sap in maple tree. The tree is tapped by drilling holes into the trunk and collecting the exuded sap, which is processed by heating to evaporate much of the water, leaving the concentrated syrup. It is also a representation of Canada, they produce 80% of the world’s maple syrup. 

Major Producers and Consumers

North America is its largest market, the top consumers of maple syrup are Quebec, Vermont, and Ontario. According to the estimates from the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers in 2017, 80% of the global demand for maple syrup was from Canada. In addition, approximately 85-90% of the maple syrup produced in Canada was from Quebec.

It is also one of the fastest-growing markets of Asia Pacific with a CAGR of 5%

Export and Import of Maple Syrup

The export value of maple syrup: Global sales for maple syrup exporters totaled US$380.4 million during 2018. That figure reflects a 12.1% increase since 2014 when exported maple syrup sales amounted to $339.3 million. From 2017 to 2018, maple syrup exports appreciated by 5.3%. 

As of 2018, Canada dominates over four-fifths (82.3%) of that total, with 61 other nations selling smaller amounts of maple syrup-related products on global markets. It exported US$312.9 million worth of maple syrup in 2018, while the United States had 6.8% ($25.8 million) of globally exported maple syrup and the Netherlands had 3.7% ($14.2 million). 

The import value of maple syrup: as of 2018, the import value of maple syrup is US$ 191.9 M. of which Canada was the top destination of export from the US.

Top destination countries (2018)

Maple syrup supply-chain

The supply chain begins with the inputs into syrup production including the equipment, raw sap, and supplies. The ecosystem is the physical environment or region where the producer is located. Once the maple syrup, or other maple product, is produced and has met the applicable Federal and/or provincial standards, the next step for some producers is to process the item into a value-added product; or to sell it to distributors, large wholesale buyers, exporters or directly to the public. 

The outlets for distribution can be as follows: 

1) The maple product can be sold directly to the consumer

2) The producer sends out the finished product to a distributor who then sells the item to the consumer

3) if the product is unfinished, it can be sent to a processor, via the distributor, where a final product is developed and then sold to the consumer.

Source
It starts with the maple woodlands and then moves through communities, supply channels, production, final products, and consumers. 

As apparent from the supply chain diagram there are multiple parties and stakeholders involved in the process, from the maple woods to the packaging and at last to the customer. Undeniably, more stakeholders and movement are the chances of deceit, as of now there is no regulatory system that can trace all the elements of the maple syrup supply chain.

Why Maple Syrup needs a double-check for purity and authenticity :

As demand for natural sugars increases, food manufacturers are busy adding maple syrup to everything from chips and Pop-Tarts to yogurt but suppliers can’t just crank up the tap With it’s high price , it got its name Liquid Gold .

To reference the level of counterfeiting, there happened a million-dollar scam “ the great Canadian maple heist” (Source :https://money.com/man-stole-18-million-worth-maple-syrup/) that was a months-long theft between 2011–12 of nearly 3,000 tons of maple syrup, valued at C$18.7 million from a storage facility in Quebec. The facility was operated by the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers who represent 77% of the global maple syrup supply and have been compared to a cartel.

It could be blamed upon lack of supply chain regulation and monitoring and technical methodologies.

Quillhash has developed a solution to counteract the sharp practices performed in the industry: Quilltrace

Blockchain-based supply-chain solution, QuillTrace!

Because of the apparent reasons, the reliability of the product has reduced. Perceiving the global scenario of maple syrup, Quillhash has launched a supply-chain monitoring platform Quilltrace.  

QuillTrace empowers traceability by introducing transparency in the supply chain. It is a procurement platform runs on blockchain technology that ensures complete transparency in supply-chain management for various industries, to regain the trust and efficiency it once had.

QuillTrace is especially useful in such a premium industry as every step of the chain from harvesting to packaging can be recorded on the blockchain, the procession of maple syrup from the woods to the producer to the retailer could be viewed by the consumer which would further prove the authenticity and caliber of the product. 

Benefits of QuillTrace in the maple syrup industry:

• Information can be tracked from production to delivery point
• It aids in analyzing, plans activities, and make trade-offs based on information from the entire supply chain.
• Integration of IoT device for live tracking.
• It provides complete visibility for all parties involved.
• Data can be accessed by any party of the system at any time

Who we are :

QuillTrace, enables every user to track and trace their assets without prior Technical knowledge in Blockchain technology, and it can be integrated into existing ERP solutions without any additional costs.

Get to know more about QuillTrace in the shared link below:

http://bit.ly/2RFh54m

Feel free to request a Demo for a better understanding of QuillTrace and how it could benefit from your existing system

For further information https://quillhash.typeform.com/to/LeU1gt