Implementing Company-Wide Data Governance for One of the Largest Coffee Producers

The Producer is one of the largest coffee producers and distributors in its market, with data assets spanning production, sales, distribution, and finance across multiple business units. As the organisation scaled its data platform and analytics capability, the need for a formal, company-wide data governance framework became a priority to sustain data quality and trust.

• No formal data governance framework in place, with data ownership and accountability unclear across business units
• Inconsistent data quality standards, definitions, and validation rules across systems and functions
• Limited data stewardship roles, leaving data quality issues unresolved or inconsistently addressed
• No structured process for managing master data such as products, customers, and distributors across the organisation
• Growing risk of compliance and reporting errors as data volume and complexity increase

• As enterprise data platforms mature, governance becomes the critical enabler of sustained data trust, and without it platform investments erode over time as data quality drifts
• Master data inconsistencies across products, customers, and distributors are a common source of reporting errors and operational friction in FMCG distribution businesses
• Strong data governance is increasingly a prerequisite for regulatory, audit, and investor reporting confidence as businesses scale
• Left unaddressed, data quality issues compound as more systems and users are added to the data platform, undermining the value of prior data investments

• Data Governance Framework & Policy Suite
• Data Ownership & Stewardship Model
• Master Data Management Process (Products, Customers, Distributors)
• Data Quality Standards & Validation Rules
• Data Governance Council Charter
• Governance Adoption Training Programme
• Phased Rollout Roadmap

100%

Business units covered by the new data governance framework

40–50%

Reduction in master data discrepancies across systems (approx.)

90%+

Data quality issues resolved within defined stewardship SLAs (approx.)

1

Company-wide data governance council established

20+

Data stewards trained and onboarded (approx.)

30%

Reduction in data-related reporting errors (approx.)

Data ownership and stewardship are now an operating discipline rather than a policy document, protecting the value of the Producer's broader data platform investment. Clear governance roles, master data standards, and an active governance council keep data quality and trust intact as the business continues to scale.