Alcohol and blockchain technology may not be obvious bedfellows, but with distributed ledger technology being embraced in logistics and manufacturing, two cider companies in Spain have taken the leap into the world of blockchain product tracing.

In a partnership with blockchain developer Telos, Sidra Menéndez S.L. and Llagar Castañón S.L today said they’re using Telos’ distributed ledger technology to record traceability data for their premium ciders. That will allow consumers to trace the origins of each bottle using the dedicated app to scan a QR code on the back of each bottle.

The feature is pitched as allowing consumers to check that the cider they are drinking is legitimate under Spanish regulations and to ensure that the cider they are drinking is not counterfeit or made with imported apples.

“Cider is one of Spain’s most prized beverages, made from designated apple varieties that place it under the European Union’s PDO, or Protected Designation of Origin,” explained Luis Meijueiro from The Telescope, a Telos block producer. “This means that every part of these ciders’ production and processing must take place in this specific Asturias region.

He also noted that Spain’s cider industry has faced challenges as some producers import apples from outside the region to make imitation ciders. “We decided to leverage the Telos blockchain to come up with a solution that would ensure the integrity of Spanish cider, helping it to gain consumer confidence and global market share,” he said.

Using the Telos blockchain, all parties register their activities starting from the apple growers through to the cider makers, beverage distributors and sellers. Using the SidraDOP application, anyone can then gain access to the history of each bottle from farm gate through to the point of purchase.

The news is another step forward in the adoption of Telos’ blockchain technology in a highly competitive market. The company was last in the news in June when it launched Telos EVM, the first deployment of an Ethereum Virtual Machine on the EOS.IO blockchain.

Photo: Sidra Menéndez; image: Telos