We’ve seen significant growth in cases like this. Not only in China, but closer to home than you may think. Another blemish the industry certainly doesn’t need right now given the pain it is in from global uncertainty and devastating natural disasters.

TL;DR

• If the Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux (CIVB or Bordeaux Wine Council) used the Cellr platform, they would have immutable, digital records of everything produced in their GI
• Cellr would give CIVB a clear view of the entire supply chain throughout the world
• Bottle, cartons and pallets all tracked to create unique secure layers of protection

Cellr’s alignment with the Mission Statement of the CIVB is uncanny.

As per the CIVB website, The Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux (CIVB or Bordeaux Wine Council), founded in 1948, represents the three families of the Bordeaux wine industry: winegrowers, wine merchants and brokers. As such, the CIVB has 3 missions:

1. Marketing: develop the notoriety of Bordeaux wines in France and abroad through advertising campaigns, digital communications, public and press relations, and training
2. Economic: acquiring data and improving knowledge relating to the production, the markets and the sale of Bordeaux wines throughout the world.
3. Technical: improve the industry’s understanding of various technical issues relating to the production and quality of Bordeaux wines and anticipate new environment – and health-related requirements.

The Cellr platform offers layers of security that align a clear pathway to identifying wines within a dedicated GI. Additional to that, Cellr gives the CIVB a perfect solution to the first 2 elements of the 3 missions.

Like any anti-counterfeit solution, in any industry, Cellr won’t eradicate counterfeiting in the wine industry. However, we do give producers a legitimate pathway to successfully protecting their brand anywhere around the world. Beyond the producer we offer the ability to attach regulatory information to individual bottles, or consignments as a whole. This is the first #WWCD.

WWCD is an acronym for “what would Cellr do”.

We believe in identifying ways that technology can help advance an industry that is at the mercy of unscrupulous activity.

If the Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux (CIVB) turned to Cellr to digitally record all export certifications to be stored alongside the relative individual vintage information of the bottle, then we could provide an authentic GI record accessible via a simple NFC scan.

The “simple” NFC scan gives comfort to the CIVB and producers due to the fact that the information re-surfaced is based on data collected automatically throughout the supply chain. Information that cannot be replicated.

Much like the original use of the Marianne stamp, a sticker on the capsule did not provide sufficient protection due to the repeatability of it by anyone with a printer. The value chain we see in this instance is simple.

Each bottle from the region could be capped with our lids. In turn, our platform would then automatically create digital twins, or “birth certificates” on the production line when the bottle passes a defined checkpoint. Beyond the initial introduction of our patent-pending lids, we have some clever ways to layer security throughout the bottling process, matched with the supply chain to create a true track & trace solution.

With our platform in-place, we would have individual bottle records for everything produced in the GI. Record of the exact bottles inside each box, and also each box on each pallet destined for the supply chain.

This would give authentic, Bordeaux classified wines a traceable, digital record from winery to customer (and via the supply chain). We also believe our solution offers more stability than simple labeling options traditionally implemented. The ability for digital records to be translated into any language required is another standalone point of difference.

As highlighted (back in 2009) by Jancis Robinson in her article about “French Foils and Labeling”, translation is another issue that traditional methods cannot solve.

“Part of the difficulty in conveying this information succinctly lies in the number of languages involved and the proliferation of abbreviations.”

Jancis Robinson, French Foils and Labeling (2009)

In closing, the Cellr platform is perfectly designed to support wine producing areas, the producers themselves and of course the consumer. We’d love an introduction into the CIVB if you have any contacts.

If you would like to know more about Cellr and how we can give you a hands-free solution to brand protection, please don’t hesitate to contact us directly.