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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| The woman whose mum inspired her to track ethical food | The woman whose mum inspired her to track ethical food |
| (8 days later) | |
| Jessi Baker thanks her mother for the inspiration to start her company, Provenance. | Jessi Baker thanks her mother for the inspiration to start her company, Provenance. |
| Set up just a few years ago, Provenance says it is lighting a fire under the retail world. | Set up just a few years ago, Provenance says it is lighting a fire under the retail world. |
| The company is based on an app that allows retailers and customers to see where a product comes from, from its origins to its point of sale. | |
| "Behind every product is a complex chain of people and places and that's a really important part of why people buy things," Ms Baker explains. | "Behind every product is a complex chain of people and places and that's a really important part of why people buy things," Ms Baker explains. |
| "Provenance is all about making that information transparent to shoppers but also to businesses all along the supply chain." | "Provenance is all about making that information transparent to shoppers but also to businesses all along the supply chain." |
| Jessi and Jenny | Jessi and Jenny |
| But it began with her mother Jenny. | But it began with her mother Jenny. |
| "She's a pioneer of conscious consumption," Ms Baker says. | "She's a pioneer of conscious consumption," Ms Baker says. |
| "She raised me, my brother and sister, to care about what we eat and buy, but also helped us understand from an early age where things come from. | "She raised me, my brother and sister, to care about what we eat and buy, but also helped us understand from an early age where things come from. |
| "For a long time, I think most of our meals came from under one mile from our home in Wiltshire, vegetables from the garden and animal products from our neighbour's farm." | "For a long time, I think most of our meals came from under one mile from our home in Wiltshire, vegetables from the garden and animal products from our neighbour's farm." |
| While training to be a manufacturing engineer, Ms Baker visited dozens of supply chains to see how different products were sourced and created. But the breakthrough came in 2013, when she was studying for a PhD in computer science and started to look into the emerging blockchain technology. | While training to be a manufacturing engineer, Ms Baker visited dozens of supply chains to see how different products were sourced and created. But the breakthrough came in 2013, when she was studying for a PhD in computer science and started to look into the emerging blockchain technology. |
| "You can think of a blockchain," Ms Baker says, "as a shared data system that everyone can use in order to be able to trust information. What it's allowed us to do is to have a shared system of record that nobody can tamper with and everybody can see." | "You can think of a blockchain," Ms Baker says, "as a shared data system that everyone can use in order to be able to trust information. What it's allowed us to do is to have a shared system of record that nobody can tamper with and everybody can see." |
| Provenance uses this technology to log and store every stage of a supply chain in a way that anyone can access. | Provenance uses this technology to log and store every stage of a supply chain in a way that anyone can access. |
| Student project to global ambition | Student project to global ambition |
| Now the company, which started as a part-time interest while Ms Baker was studying, has become a full-time business. She has put her PhD on hold, as she's busy running a company with 10 staff based in four countries: the UK, the US, France and Germany. | Now the company, which started as a part-time interest while Ms Baker was studying, has become a full-time business. She has put her PhD on hold, as she's busy running a company with 10 staff based in four countries: the UK, the US, France and Germany. |
| "We have no physical things apart from our laptops," Ms Baker points out. "So we can move the team wherever we want to around the world." | "We have no physical things apart from our laptops," Ms Baker points out. "So we can move the team wherever we want to around the world." |
| The company started out working with small brands and, in July 2016, signed its first commercial client, the UK's fifth largest food and grocery retailer, the Co-op. Provenance is now helping the Co-op track fresh products through its supply chains. | The company started out working with small brands and, in July 2016, signed its first commercial client, the UK's fifth largest food and grocery retailer, the Co-op. Provenance is now helping the Co-op track fresh products through its supply chains. |
| "We've attracted lots of pioneering food and drinks businesses," Ms Baker says. | "We've attracted lots of pioneering food and drinks businesses," Ms Baker says. |
| "It's as much about reassuring businesses that they are selling things that are correct and trustworthy as it is about consumers being able to understand that as well." | "It's as much about reassuring businesses that they are selling things that are correct and trustworthy as it is about consumers being able to understand that as well." |
| Fishy business | Fishy business |
| Provenance's first victory for sourcing ethical products came with a humble fish. | Provenance's first victory for sourcing ethical products came with a humble fish. |
| In early 2016 in Indonesia, Provenance tracked the first fish on the blockchain. | In early 2016 in Indonesia, Provenance tracked the first fish on the blockchain. |
| Working with a non-governmental organisation to certify a socially sustainable catch of fish, the company in effect created a digital passport for the fish. | Working with a non-governmental organisation to certify a socially sustainable catch of fish, the company in effect created a digital passport for the fish. |
| Provenance has now set up partnerships with tagging, DNA scanning and digital imaging companies to strengthen the connections between physical products and their digitised claims. | Provenance has now set up partnerships with tagging, DNA scanning and digital imaging companies to strengthen the connections between physical products and their digitised claims. |
| As well as fish, Provenance now tracks other foods, such as eggs and dairy. It says that lots of products, not just food, can be tracked and sourced in this way. | As well as fish, Provenance now tracks other foods, such as eggs and dairy. It says that lots of products, not just food, can be tracked and sourced in this way. |
| Blockchain beginnings | Blockchain beginnings |
| But Ms Baker admits that there are still some issues with the scaling up of the technology. | But Ms Baker admits that there are still some issues with the scaling up of the technology. |
| "We're on the bleeding edge of a new technology and occasionally having to wait for it to get developed a bit more in order to be able to develop on top of it," she says. | "We're on the bleeding edge of a new technology and occasionally having to wait for it to get developed a bit more in order to be able to develop on top of it," she says. |
| Another problem is the reputation of blockchains. | Another problem is the reputation of blockchains. |
| "The main challenge for Provenance is that it's being built upon a technology that is relatively immature," says Chris Haley, an analyst from innovation specialist, Nesta. | "The main challenge for Provenance is that it's being built upon a technology that is relatively immature," says Chris Haley, an analyst from innovation specialist, Nesta. |
| "There are still some risks that are unclear, but we're beginning to see blockchains being used in really quite a wide variety of applications. It is potentially a much simpler way of transacting." he says. | "There are still some risks that are unclear, but we're beginning to see blockchains being used in really quite a wide variety of applications. It is potentially a much simpler way of transacting." he says. |
| But Ms Baker has a long-term vision. | But Ms Baker has a long-term vision. |
| "We are disruptive and we're trying to disrupt the industry for good." she says. | "We are disruptive and we're trying to disrupt the industry for good." she says. |
| "The ultimate goal of Provenance is that one day it will be impossible to buy a product that compromises your health and morals. Businesses that have very opaque supply chains and are not taking active steps to make them transparent should really fear us." | "The ultimate goal of Provenance is that one day it will be impossible to buy a product that compromises your health and morals. Businesses that have very opaque supply chains and are not taking active steps to make them transparent should really fear us." |