utz_cup_coffee
Utz - Trace & Traceability

 

Trade and Traceability

 

 

 

Traceability of UTZ CERTIFIED coffee from grower to roaster makes
the UTZ CERTIFIED program unique.

UTZ CERTIFIED uses two elements to create traceability:

  • The UTZ CERTIFIED web-based traceability system
  • Chain of Custody requirements

UTZ CERTIFIED traceability system

Buying and selling UTZ CERTIFIED coffee

 

Sale

An UTZ CERTIFIED coffee producer sells his coffee to a registered UTZ CERTIFIED buyer. They negotiate the contract details and explicitly agree upon the premium that is paid for the UTZ certification.

Sales Announcement

The producer informs UTZ CERTIFIED of this sale and the contract information by issuing a Sales Announcement in the UTZ CERTIFIED Matching System. Upon receiving the Sales Announcement, UTZ CERTIFIED assigns a unique tracking number to the contract. This unique UTZ CERTIFIED number is sent back to the producer, who sends it onwards to the first buyer of the coffee. The unique UTZ CERTIFIED identification number travels with the coffee through the whole coffee chain.

The unique UTZ CERTIFIED number is key to trading and tracing UTZ CERTIFIED coffee; it must be sent to each buyer of the coffee in the chain.

 

Trading

Traders who resell the UTZ CERTIFIED coffee do not have to announce their sales in the UTZ CERTIFIED Matching System. However, when a trader wants to sell a contract of UTZ CERTIFIED coffee partly or to multiple buyers, he has to issue a Split Announcement in the Matching System. UTZ CERTIFIED generates a new unique UTZ CERTIFIED number for each part of the contract, to guarantee the traceability of the UTZ CERTIFIED coffee. The trader sends on the new unique UTZ CERTIFIED identification number(s).

Matching

Upon receipt of the UTZ CERTIFIED coffee, the final buyer in the coffee chain matches the coffee in the Matching System. He issues a Confirmation of Arrival by entering the unique UTZ CERTIFIED number of his contract. He verifies whether the information in the system matches the details of the contract. A match means the coffee is officially UTZ CERTIFIED. The buyer now knows where his coffee comes from and how it was produced.

The confirmation in the UTZ CERTIFIED traceability system is the only way for buyers to verify that their coffee is indeed UTZ CERTIFIED.

Chain of Custody

To enhance the guarantee that coffee with an UTZ CERTIFIED logo indeed comes from an UTZ CERTIFIED producer, the UTZ CERTIFIED program contains Chain of Custody requirements. This is a set of chain-wide administrative and technical requirements for traceability. These requirements include criteria for separation of UTZ CERTIFIED coffee and non-UTZ CERTIFIED coffee, and keeping records of direct suppliers and buyers.

  • As of from January 2006 Producers must be certified to the Chain of Custody for Origin Countries as part of their annual Code of Conduct inspection.
  • Brands that make an UTZ CERTIFIED claim on their products must be certified against the Chain of Custody requirements for Destination Countries. UTZ CERTIFIED strongly recommends that these brands ensure that their supply chain is also certified.
  • Other organizations in the chain can also become Chain of Custody certified voluntarily or on specific request of their buyer.

Members of the UTZ CERTIFIED program are Chain of Custody-certified when an independent certifier approved by UTZ CERTIFIED determines that the member is in compliance with the requirements of the UTZ CERTIFIED Chain of Custody. This inspection is repeated annually.

UTZ CERTIFIED Chain of Custody documents are available upon request at info @ utzcertified.org.

!