Beyond Consumer Trust: Blockchain-Based Traceability as Complementary Information Governance in Italian Wine Value Chains: Special Issue: "Transforming wine value chains – Adapting to a changing world"
Published 2026-10-23
Keywords
- Blockchain,
- Wine value chains,
- Information Governance,
- Institutional regulation
How to Cite
Copyright (c) 2024 Daiane Goncalves de Carvalho, Rafael Giovanella , Daniela Callegaro de Menezes

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Abstract
This study analyzes blockchain-based traceability in Italian wineries and its effects on information governance, coordination, commercialization, and competitive dynamics in regulated wine value chains. Rather than treating blockchain as a disruptive substitute for trust mechanisms, the study shows that its effects are complementary and conditional. Based on a multiple-case study of six wineries and a blockchain platform provider, three adoption patterns emerged: operational integration, externally mediated communicational use, and implementation discontinued due to informational and organizational limitations. Blockchain complemented rather than replaced certifications and formal controls, operating effectively when reliable records and internal coordination were in place. Commercial effects were heterogeneous, including buyer-specific demand and respondent-reported economic outcomes, while sustained business relevance depended on market demand, product value, scale, and implementation costs. The study reframes blockchain as an organizationally conditioned governance mechanism and proposes a framework based on readiness, data governance, application design, operational integration, and strategic use.
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