In the coffee sector, the knowledge required to fully understand the entire supply chain and its associated culture is vast and complex. First, the coffee chain is intricate, involving numerous stages from cultivation to consumption. Second, coffee is grown primarily in the "Coffee Belt," which spans Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Each region has its own unique practices, varietals, and cultural significance. Third, many coffee farmers work in conditions that are not well-documented or understood by consumers. Issues like fair trade, labour conditions, and environmental impacts are complex and often hidden from view. Fourth, coffee culture varies greatly around the world. From Italian espresso bars to Ethiopian coffee ceremonies, the cultural practices and significance of coffee are diverse and deeply rooted in local traditions. To address knowledge gaps in people’s experience and promote a more holistic understanding of coffee, the Slow Food Movement, in partnership with the Lavazza Group, launched, in 2021, the Slow Food Coffee Coalition, a collaborative and open network. The initiative invites citizens and other stakeholders to be active, grassroots participants in experiencing and co-creating knowledge along the whole supply chain, focusing on the promotion of sustainable, fair, and high-quality coffee. To the partnership, Slow Food brings its expertise in promoting local food cultures, sustainability, and biodiversity, while Lavazza, provides industry knowledge, resources, and market access. Together, they work to improve the coffee supply chain in various learning opportunities, such as the Coffee Presidia projects and the Terra Madre Salone del Gusto. In this paper, we explore two strategies that the Coffee Coalition values in promoting learning: fostering a culture of shared knowledge and harnessing digital innovations for collaboration. To this end, in addition to the traditional QR Code technology that allows access to knowledge bases, supply chains can count, today, on blockchain traceability, not only as a technological advancement, but also as a powerful narrative tool that intertwines the stories of all the parties involved. In the coffee supply chains, traceability seeks to guarantee quality along the entire journey and stages to the consumer. Blockchain is an emerging innovative technology that makes the traceability safer and more efficient. We argue that, by leveraging these learning strategies, the Coffee Coalition practices collaborative learning and ensures that all participants, from farmers to consumers, benefit from shared knowledge and collective effort. Collaborative learning is a pedagogical approach that emphasizes the active participation of individuals working together to solve a problem, complete a task, or create a product. Our argument is enriched with a series of four short DIY videos which illustrate how the Coffee Coalition embodies this ethos, striving to promote quality, safety and sustainability in the coffee industry. We finish up by raising some issues that deserve further investigation.

Keywords: Slow Food Coffee Coalition, quality and safety, blockchain traceability, collaborative learning, digital storytelling.