IN THE DIGITAL CHANGE OF TIMES: GUYA & THE BLOCKCHAIN

Digitization has become an integral part of everyday life. With it come new revolutionary technologies such as the blockchain, which is considered to be one of THE top trends for the coming years and has enormous potential. Quite a few say that this technology will fundamentally change some essential processes. It is logical that we also (have to!) deal with this topic - and consider: How can we use these new ideas and solution approaches positively and integrate them advantageously at GUYA? What potential does blockchain offer us? How can the technology serve GUYA, our community and our partners at the same time? As a small company in particular, it is important for us to deal with these questions at an early stage. Because with great certainty, the blockchain will soon move further into the public focus.

BITCOIN, ETHER & CO. – PAY GUAYUSA AT GUYA WITH CRYPTO

At GUYA we offer various payment options, among other things you can also pay for your Bio Guayusa with us via Coinbase. Coinbase is a platform where you can buy, sell and manage cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum & Co. You can actually pay with us with cryptocurrencies. Opinions on this are divided. Above all, critical voices note the allegedly high energy consumption, which is said to be associated with trading in digital money. We already have what we think about this in another Article communicates who deals with the topic.
But no matter how one views cryptocurrencies now - what we can all agree on: that digitization has become an integral part of everyday life worldwide, both in private and in economic life. This is accompanied by new revolutionary technological innovations and solutions. Blockchain technology, which is also based on cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, is considered one of THE trends – with the most significant potential for the next few years.

EFFECTS OF LEMONGRASS

As with most natural remedies, no specific health statement can be made about lemongrass. Nevertheless, there are some exciting studies that indicate that lemongrass counteracts high blood pressure, infections, headaches, abdominal pain, fever and infections. There are over 50 different varieties, of which 2 in particular are used in Ecuador. One is described as having a calming effect and the other as energizing. For our Guayusa tea with lemongrass we have therefore of course chosen the invigorating

INGREDIENTS OF LEMONGRASS

The lemon grade oil and the plant itself contain a lot of vitamin A or provitamin A (β-carotene), flavonoids, antioxidants, terpenes and phenols.Vitamin A is an important building block for our body in the formation and development of cells and tissues. It also plays an important role in the ability to see light and dark. Antioxidants protect our cells from oxidative damage. You can find a separate article on this in our blog.

WHAT IS "BLOCKCHAIN" EVER?

The term "chain" literally translated from English simply means "chain". The blockchain is therefore a block chain. First and foremost, the blockchain is a decentralized, public database that is mirrored on a large number of computers in the network. It is a kind of data storage for everything that has a digital value. The object of value can be tangible or intangible. In a blockchain network, almost all aspects of business use can be stored. The digital goods are sent directly from the sender to the recipient without a central intermediate instance. All participants have access to the network and can understand the transactions. This results in a high level of data consistency and a particularly high degree of transparency.

In the Bitcoin context, this tamper-proof, immutable data store is used to add and manage monetary transactions chronologically. Each new transaction is stored in a single block that is appended to a continuously expanding chain of pre-existing records. The technology has existed since 2008, but the hype only came about with the Bitcoin boom in recent years. However, the technology now offers far more areas of application than just that of cryptocurrencies. Blockchains offer enormous potential due to their transparency, traceability and high level of security. And are therefore becoming increasingly important, especially for smaller companies.

GUYA SUPPLY CHAIN ​​OPTIMIZATION VIA BLOCKCHAIN

Accordingly, logically we also think about what potential the blockchain offers for us, our business model and our values ​​and to what extent we can use this technology positively and advantageously for everything that is behind GUYA.

For example, there is the idea of ​​using blockchain technology to make the supply chain more transparent. The optimization of supply chains is also repeatedly considered as a Top blockchain trend and one of the biggest  Blockchain potential seen at all.

The intention is to map the transport of goods via the blockchain in a permanently transparent manner for the community, so that seals such as Fairtrade, Amazon Alliance, Rainforest Alliance, Bio, etc. become superfluous. Because a topic that comes up again and again is the organic controls, which we also have to undergo. Not because we are against organic, of course, but rather because we realize that – at least in our case – it is not really about organic, but primarily about bureaucracy and profiteering. Which is also very expensive. Both on the German side and in Ecuador. In the end, you only look at the papers, random samples or the like are not normally done. The certification will cost us, or rather the community, $5,000. On top of that, every farmer has to be certified again individually. Although everything is grown in the same way anyway. It just grows somewhere in the jungle where there is absolutely no access to pesticides and so on.

That's why we decided last year that we would phase out our "organic goods" and prefer to show transparently where everything comes from. Showing our own laboratory analyzes and creating a kind of own “seal” where the community can get information about eg YouTube videos, Lives from Ecuador, graphics and pictures. That is a really transparent access to where our guayusa comes from. We find it really exciting to find solutions for ourselves, for example. Blockchain may be able to help here.

OTHER POSSIBLE GUYA FIELDS OF APPLICATION FOR THE BLOCKCHAIN

With the use of blockchain technology, central authorities and middlemen such as traditional e-commerce platforms become unnecessary. Transactions can be brokered directly between the transaction partners, which would lead to large cost savings, higher profits and better efficiency, especially for small companies. With fewer costs and fees, the prices for the end consumer are then also reduced.

The blockchain automatically generates documents such as invoices and does not have to be created manually. The documents can then be digitally forwarded directly to important stakeholders such as tax consultants or auditors. It is then no longer necessary for a company to house all servers in its own building. Instead, the computing power can be distributed to the servers of the network participants. This saves bureaucratic steps, technological requirements and a lot of time.

Back to the supply chain: With the blockchain, the entire transport chain can be documented and controlled with little effort and each product can be tracked and assigned at any time. This complete documentation of a value chain, from the raw material of a product to delivery to the end customer, is guaranteed by the encrypted and unchangeable blocks. This also makes it easier to monitor compliance with sustainability standards or to check the authenticity of certain products. In addition, the origin of a product can be traced in an absolutely counterfeit-proof manner.

In order to offer maximum transparency, all transactions are traceable, publicly accessible to everyone and always visible. All activities are audit-proof, transparent, but stored anonymously on the blockchain. This could also be helpful with donations.

CONCLUSION

The business operations of companies are always based on information. The faster, more transparent and more reliable these are received, the better. Blockchain seems ideally suited for this information provision. A blockchain network can map and trace orders, transactions, donations, production processes, goods transport and much more immediately, completely transparently and absolutely unchangeably. This offers all participants a plus in safety, more efficiency and many possibilities.

As digitization progresses, it can be predicted that the blockchain will become almost unavoidable and that companies are better off preparing for this coming digital transformation now. But also because of the wide range of possible applications, we see great potential for simplifying a number of processes. And real added value is created. Can make GUYA even fairer, more transparent, more social and more sustainable.