Hedera Blockchain Used in Cocoa Traceability Pilot

Merck, PwC Germany, and The Hashgraph Group have launched a pilot project using the Hedera blockchain to improve cocoa traceability. The initiative comes ahead of new European Union requirements scheduled to take effect on Dec. 30, 2026, which will require businesses to demonstrate the origin of cocoa and provide evidence supporting compliance with deforestation rules.

Cocoa supply chains are particularly difficult to monitor because millions of farms, largely in Africa, sell cocoa through networks of intermediaries before the commodity reaches processors and retailers.

The pilot combines blockchain-based digital product passports, physical product authentication, and business-process expertise to create a verifiable record linking cocoa batches to their origins and compliance histories.