In the fragmented and murky world of global trade today, premium brands in particular face two challenges: assuring the authenticity of valuable products and establishing a transparent connection with consumers.
California Chamber of Commerce member Gliding Eagle Inc., founded in 2010, has found its niche in providing a solution to transparency in international commerce.
As a systems and data technology company specializing in global trade, Gliding Eagle tracks each product from the producer to the consumer to ensure authenticity and channel accountability. The company shares the data with partners in the channel to build mutual trust.
Technology
Company founder and CEO Jack Duan, a former senior technologist at Sun Microsystems, pulled together a team with industry experience in technology and distribution. Team members are located in both the San Francisco Bay Area and Beijing.
Duan reports the company deploys its cloud and mobile-based technology, built in partnership with IBM using Blockchain, to help clients track each product unit. The tracking follows the product for every step from the producer to the final consumer, anywhere in the world.
“Only this level of transparency can assure authenticity for each product, benefiting both brand owners and consumers,” Duan notes.
Gliding Eagle started its service with branded premium wines and natural consumer products. Company co-founder Adam Ivor, also vice president of operations, had built a winery in Sonoma and is a winemaker.
Plans are to expand service to include health care and luxury goods—any products where authenticity is paramount.
Napa Wines to China
Since September 2015, the Gliding Eagle system has been used to track more than $2 million worth of premium Napa wines shipped to China.
So far, Gliding Eagle orders have been driven by word of mouth. It now counts 70 premier California wineries as clients, including Robert Mondavi, Silver Oak, Beringer, Yao Family Wines.
FedEx, IBM and the U.S. Department of Commerce are the company’s strategic partners.
The U.S. Department of Commerce recently recognized the company’s contributions to global trade with the Export Achievement Award. The award was presented to Duan and other Gliding Eagle representatives at the CalChamber International Forum on May 31 (see photo).
