IGSO increases transparency of food supply chain with Delight
“Our mission is to digitize the food supply chain and help consumers answer the question of where their food comes from. Delight makes it easier for anyone to ask us that question via voice interfaces.”
— Mandy Chan and Leo Cheung, Co-Founders of IGSO
Summary
International Growers Standards Organization (“IGSO”) is an accreditation organization for farmers, focused on sustainable agriculture and empowering consumers to learn where their food comes from.
The organization is founded by Leo Cheung and Mandy Chan, second-generation leaders of a family business with over 40 years of success in fruits distribution.
Under Mandy and Leo’s leadership, IGSO aims to digitize and enhance transparency of the food supply chain, starting with fruits. Using smartphones, consumers can scan QR codes attached to food and packaging to discover the origins and supply chain of what they are eating. They also uncover the unique stories behind each farmer.
With Delight’s technology, IGSO successfully extended their platform to create one of the world’s first supply chain transparency solutions available through voice. Learning more about your food became as easy as saying: “Hey Google / Alexa / Siri / Bixby, ask IGSO to tell me more about my food”.
A history of collaborating with farmers
40 years ago, Leo’s father started a fruits distribution business in Asia by tapping into early demand of the region’s burgeoning economies. His father built a successful business out of intra-Asia trade, importing fruits like longans from Thailand and watermelon from Malaysia into other Asian economies. So Leo literally grew up surrounded by fruits.
Even the history of Mandy and Leo’s marriage is intertwined with fruits. The couple met while attending college in America. One of their favorite dating spots was AJ’s Fine Foods, where Leo could showcase his expertise in fruits and they would buy the most in-season produce. After college, they got married and returned home to help with the family business.
Over the last two decades, as Asia’s economies continue to flourish, Mandy and Leo have helped farmers and growers around the world meet Asia’s demand for premium fruits. As Asia consumer palettes continue to expand in variety, the couple expanded their sourcing network — importing grapes from California, cherries from Tasmania, yellow dragon fruit from Ecuador and other fruits from around the world.
Industry pain point is a lack of transparency
Along the way, Mandy and Leo noticed an industry problem. While their fruits distribution business works exclusively with premium and ethical farmers, consumers were not able to differentiate between these high-quality farmers and those who would compromise on responsible-growing standards.
In addition, there was no easy way for consumers to uncover counterfeits or fake labelling. The root of the problem was lack of verifiable transparency along the supply chain.
Solution is traceability from farm to consumer
So, Mandy and Leo created a software system to help farmers document their “farm-to-consumer” supply chain. At point of sale or consumption, consumers use their smartphones to scan QR codes attached to produce or packaging to learn more about what they are buying.
Consumers can view multimedia stories that range from history of the farm, background of the farmers, responsible growing practices, to details about each type of produce and so on. They can also take surveys, provide valuable feedback and opt-in to the farmer’s mailing list.
But Mandy and Leo did not stop there. Sensing the arrival of voice as a growing medium, they sought the assistance of Delight.
Where is your food from? Just ask IGSO on Google Assistant / Alexa / Siri / Bixby
With Delight’s technology solution, IGSO successfully created one of the world’s first supply chain transparency solutions available through voice. It is open to agricultural partners who care about demonstrating their commitment to responsible farming.
Here is a video showing how consumers can simply ask their voice assistant for information about a participating farmer or produce:
Working with Delight, IGSO was able to accomplish the following business objectives through voice:
- Provide food origin and supply chain transparency to consumers
- Create new branding and customer engagement channels for farmers
- Provide answers to customers very quickly with minimal steps
- Engage Millennials and Gen Z customers who care deeply about sustainable farming
- Engage early adopter consumers across all age brackets with exciting technology
Ultimately, it is about providing transparency to consumers and rewarding great farmers for sustainable farming practices.
Not just food labeling, but all product labeling
Looking ahead, Mandy and Leo see great potential in voice assistants applied extensively in supply chains.
“You still need some essential information on a food label or product label. But for all this other rich information like farmer stories, sustainability and environmental impact, why not just teach the user to ask Google Assistant / Alexa / Siri / Bixby?”
— Mandy Chan and Leo Cheung, Co-Founders of IGSO
Foundational technology changes unlock huge business opportunities. “The QR code, especially in Asia, has helped connect the offline world to the online world,” added Mandy and Leo. “We see voice as the new QR code.”
With a little assistance of Delight, IGSO is helping consumers appreciate not just the taste of a meal, but also the story behind the meal too.
