Podcast | The Challenge of Getting ‘First-Mile’ Visibility of Soft Commodities

Getting “first-mile” visibility of soft commodities is a hard problem.

Last year saw the Ivory Coast, the world’s largest producer of cocoa, forced to buy up unsold stocks when it encountered a sudden price slump that stalled exports and left a lot of product sitting in warehouses. The situation arose during an unusually volatile period for cocoa, from climate-driven shortages to a rapid pullback by buyers. It was typical of the challenge that all “soft” commodities — farm-grown products such as sugar, cotton, coffee and, of course, cocoa — face in times of high unpredictability. On this episode, we address the problem and seek solutions with Jonathan Horn, co-founder and chief executive officer of Treefera, provider of a platform that tracks supply chain risk based on first-mile data. Volatility is here to stay, and buyers and suppliers must adjust. Hosted by Bob Bowman, Editor-in-Chief of SupplyChainBrain.

Show notes:

A report from Treefera: “The Signal Moves Before the Report.”