A Blockchain-based Solution for Traceability in the Olive Oil Production Chain: A Demonstration Case

Portugal is one of the major Olive oil producers and, at the same time, one of the largest consumers per capita. Olive oil is one of the basic ingredients used in Mediterranean cuisine. Olive oil is appreciated for its great nutritional value, which depends, in part, on how it is produced and cultivated. Olive oil production is sometimes frowned upon because it can consume a lot of water, especially new varieties of irrigated olive trees. Some olive oil productions are more environmentally friendly than others. The implementation of traceability along the olive oil production chain, and throughout its entire value chain, is essential to promote transparency, through the registration of values that allow the assessment of quality and environmental impact, among other values that allow guaranteeing the provenance, variety, and quality of the olives, ensuring the authenticity of the final product. Thus, the consumer can decide which bottle of olive oil they want to buy, based on reliable and accurate information about the quality and environmental sustainability of the olive oil to purchase. This article presents the implementation of an olive oil traceability platform based on Blockchain and presents and analyzes the result of using the proposed platform for the 2022 harvest in a farm in the north of Portugal. The platform collects and stores information on sustainability and quality indicators in all activities in the production chain.