
Lavazza
Italian family-owned coffee company and international coffee brand founded in Turin in 1895.
Last updated October 13, 2026
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Overview
Lavazza is an Italian coffee company whose history began in Turin in 1895, when Luigi Lavazza established a small grocery business at Via San Tommaso 10. The company developed from retail coffee sales into a large family-controlled roaster and a globally distributed brand. It is associated particularly with Italian espresso culture, blended coffees, coffee for the home, and professional food-service supply. A central part of Lavazza's identity is the practice of blending coffees from different origins. The company sources coffee from producing countries including Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Honduras, Uganda, Indonesia, the United States and Mexico. It presents blending as a way to balance aroma, body, acidity and consistency across products, while adapting formats and flavor profiles for different markets. Its portfolio includes whole-bean coffee, ground coffee, traditional espresso products, decaffeinated coffee, single-serve capsules and ready-to-drink beverages. The consumer range has included well-known lines such as Qualità Oro, Qualità Rossa, Espresso Italiano, Caffè Crema, Crema e Gusto, Super Crema, Gran Crema, Top Class and Dek. Lavazza has also developed proprietary capsule systems, including A Modo Mio, Espresso Point and Lavazza Blue, as well as capsules compatible with the Nespresso system. The company serves both households and professional customers, supplying cafés, restaurants, hotels, offices and other food-service channels. Lavazza has expanded beyond packaged coffee through retail and café concepts including Il Caffè di Roma and Espression. Its international growth has also involved acquisitions. In 2016 it acquired the Carte Noire and Merrild brands from Jacobs Douwe Egberts, took an 80 percent stake in Canada's Kicking Horse Coffee in 2017, purchased the drinks division of Mars UK in 2018, and announced the acquisition of French coffee roaster, distributor and coffee-services company MaxiCoffee in 2022. These transactions broadened its geographic reach, brand portfolio and presence in out-of-home and digital coffee services. The company remains family controlled and is administered across the third and fourth generations of the Lavazza family. It operates through subsidiaries, offices, manufacturing sites and distributors in more than 90 countries. Its principal Italian production locations include Turin, Gattinara and Pozzilli, with additional manufacturing capacity in France, India and Brazil. The Turin headquarters complex known as Nuvola was designed as part of the regeneration of the city's Aurora district. Lavazza has positioned itself as a premium yet broadly accessible expression of Italian coffee. Its communications combine Italian heritage, espresso expertise, photography, sport and cultural partnerships. Since 1991, its annual Lavazza Calendar has connected the brand with prominent fashion and art photographers. The company has also sponsored or partnered with organizations in football and Formula One, including Liverpool Football Club, Juventus and Williams Racing. Lavazza's public profile therefore extends beyond coffee packaging into hospitality, sport, design and visual culture. The business has reported a substantial international footprint, including thousands of employees, multiple production sites and significant export activity. The exact financial and operational figures vary by reporting year. Lavazza is not publicly listed, so no stock ticker applies. Its present business covers coffee roasting, packaged coffee, capsules, ready-to-drink beverages, professional coffee services, cafés and related international distribution. Lavazza, formally Luigi Lavazza S.p.A., is an Italian coffee company headquartered in Turin, Piedmont. Founded by Luigi Lavazza in 1895, the business began as a small grocery and coffee shop in Turin and developed into one of Italy's best-known coffee brands. Its identity is closely associated with Italian espresso culture, coffee blending, roasting expertise, and the expansion of prepared coffee into homes, workplaces, restaurants, hotels, and food-service environments. The company is controlled by the Lavazza family and operates as the central business of the Lavazza Group. Its activities cover the sourcing and blending of green coffee, roasting, packaging, marketing, distribution, and the provision of coffee systems. The portfolio includes whole-bean coffee, ground coffee, single-serve capsules and pods, instant coffee, ready-to-drink products in selected markets, and professional coffee solutions. Lavazza sells products through grocery and convenience channels, cafés and restaurants, e-commerce, offices, hotels, and vending and food-service operators. A major part of Lavazza's development was the creation of packaged blends designed to deliver a consistent flavor profile rather than coffee being sold only as a locally roasted commodity. The company helped popularize branded, packaged Italian coffee while maintaining strong ties to the espresso tradition. Its consumer brands and product families have included Qualità Rossa, Qualità Oro, Crema e Gusto, Espresso Italiano, Tierra!, ¡Tierra! Bio-Organic, A Modo Mio, and selected capsule systems developed for home use. In professional markets, Lavazza supplies beans, machines, training, and service arrangements to hospitality and catering customers. From the late twentieth century onward, Lavazza expanded beyond Italy through subsidiaries, distributors, partnerships, and acquisitions. Its international growth accelerated through the purchase of brands and businesses in markets including France, Denmark, North America, and the United Kingdom. Acquisitions such as Carte Noire, Merrild, Kicking Horse Coffee, and Blue Pod Coffee Co. broadened the group's geographic reach and product capabilities. The company has also used sponsorships and cultural partnerships to strengthen its association with Italian lifestyle, sport, hospitality, and contemporary culture. Wimbledon has been one of its most visible international sports partnerships. Lavazza presents itself as a premium yet broadly accessible Italian coffee brand. Its positioning combines heritage, espresso expertise, consistency, innovation in brewing formats, and an increasing emphasis on responsible sourcing and sustainability. Through the Lavazza Foundation and programs such as ¡Tierra!, the group has supported coffee-growing communities and sustainability initiatives, although the coffee supply chain remains exposed to climate, commodity-price, logistics, and labor risks. Lavazza remains a private, family-controlled company rather than a publicly traded issuer, and detailed financial information is therefore less consistently available than for listed multinational food companies.
History
Lavazza's history starts in 1895 in Turin, where Luigi Lavazza operated a small grocery shop at Via San Tommaso 10. The early business sold coffee and other provisions, but coffee gradually became its defining category. The company's development was closely connected with the Italian habit of preparing and serving espresso, as well as with the practical need to create reliable flavor profiles from beans grown in different regions. Lavazza is associated with the early development and promotion of blended coffee. Rather than treating a single origin as the only basis of quality, the company combined coffees from multiple geographic sources to achieve particular sensory results. This approach helped it offer consistent products while responding to differences in crop availability, roasting requirements and consumer preference. Over time, the portfolio expanded from traditional coffee formats into ground coffee, whole beans, decaffeinated products and systems for cafés and offices. The company remained under the control of the Lavazza family through successive generations. Its growth transformed it from a Turin retailer into an international manufacturer and distributor. Lavazza established production and commercial operations outside Italy and built a network of associated companies, offices and distributors serving more than 90 countries. The group has maintained important Italian manufacturing operations in Turin, Gattinara and Pozzilli, while also operating production facilities in France, India and Brazil. Gattinara is associated with capsule production, and Pozzilli with decaffeinated coffee for worldwide distribution. A major later phase of development involved single-serve coffee. Lavazza introduced and expanded systems including Espresso Point, Lavazza Blue and A Modo Mio, allowing the company to compete in the growing capsule and pod market. It also developed capsules compatible with the Nespresso system. These formats gave Lavazza access to new domestic, office and hospitality occasions while preserving its emphasis on espresso-style preparation. Lavazza's expansion has included acquisitions intended to add brands, markets and capabilities. In 2016 it acquired Carte Noire and Merrild from Jacobs Douwe Egberts. In 2017 it bought an 80 percent interest in Kicking Horse Coffee in Canada. In 2018 it acquired the drinks division of Mars UK, broadening its activity in ready-to-drink and adjacent beverage categories. In 2022 the company announced the purchase of MaxiCoffee, a French roaster, distributor and coffee-services supplier. These moves complemented organic growth in packaged coffee and professional services. The group has also invested in brand-building outside conventional advertising. Since 1991, the Lavazza Calendar has used commissioned fashion and conceptual photography to associate coffee with contemporary visual culture. Contributors have included Helmut Newton, Ellen von Unwerth, David LaChapelle, Annie Leibovitz, Eugenio Recuenco, Erwin Olaf and Platon. Sport sponsorship has provided another international platform: the company has partnered with Liverpool Football Club, Williams Racing and Juventus. Lavazza's headquarters in Turin include Nuvola, a complex designed by Cino Zucchi Architetti and developed within the regeneration of the Aurora district. The company continues to present itself as a family-controlled Italian coffee group with global reach. Its current activities span coffee sourcing and roasting, consumer packaged goods, capsule systems, cafés, ready-to-drink beverages, professional coffee equipment and services, and international distribution. Sustainability and sourcing questions remain relevant to the sector; the company's 2020 sustainability reporting indicated that only one of its ten production companies held Fairtrade certification, illustrating that certification coverage did not extend uniformly across the group. Lavazza's history began in 1895, when Luigi Lavazza opened a grocery business in Turin. Coffee was initially one part of a broader retail assortment, but Lavazza developed particular expertise in selecting, blending, and roasting beans from different origins. This blending approach was important in an era when coffee quality and flavor could vary substantially according to origin and harvest. By creating repeatable blends, the company established a foundation for a branded coffee business rather than relying solely on local shop roasting. During the twentieth century, Lavazza grew alongside Italy's espresso culture. The company expanded packaged coffee distribution and built a recognizable consumer identity around Italian preparation methods, consistent flavor, and family ownership. Products such as Qualità Rossa and Qualità Oro became established names in the Italian market. Lavazza also developed relationships with cafés, restaurants, hotels, offices, and vending operators, giving it a business that extended beyond retail packets sold to households. After the Second World War and especially from the second half of the twentieth century, advances in packaging, distribution, and espresso equipment made it possible for Lavazza to serve a national and then international market. Advertising played an important role in translating coffee expertise into a mass-market brand. The company associated itself with Italian design, hospitality, sport, and popular culture while retaining espresso as its central category. Internationalization became a defining feature of the group's later development. Lavazza established subsidiaries and distribution operations in major European markets and subsequently expanded in North America, Australia, and other regions. Rather than depending only on organic growth, the group used acquisitions to obtain local brands, roasting assets, commercial relationships, and market knowledge. It acquired Merrild in Denmark in 2015, Carte Noire's coffee business in France in 2016, a majority stake in Kicking Horse Coffee in Canada in 2017, and Blue Pod Coffee Co. in Australia in 2018. These transactions complemented the Italian core and diversified the company's geographic exposure. The spread of single-serve brewing created another major strategic phase. Lavazza developed the A Modo Mio capsule system for home espresso and participated in the broader shift toward portioned coffee. At the same time, the company maintained whole-bean and ground formats and continued serving professional customers with beans, machines, technical support, and training. This multi-channel model allowed Lavazza to participate in both traditional espresso preparation and newer convenience-led consumption. Sustainability has become increasingly prominent in Lavazza's public strategy. Through the Lavazza Foundation and the ¡Tierra! program, the company has supported coffee-farming communities, agronomic training, climate adaptation, and responsible production initiatives. The group has also promoted certified and organic products in parts of its portfolio. These efforts address both social and environmental concerns and the long-term resilience of coffee supply, although they do not eliminate the industry's exposure to climate change, price volatility, deforestation concerns, and supply-chain disruption. Lavazza remains a private, family-controlled Italian group. Its present business combines consumer coffee, professional coffee services, international subsidiaries, acquired local brands, and brand partnerships. Its long-term challenge is to protect a distinctive Italian espresso identity while competing in highly developed capsule, specialty, ready-to-drink, café, and food-service markets. The company also has to balance premiumization and innovation with affordability, as well as sustainability commitments with the cost and complexity of global coffee sourcing.
- 2022
MaxiCoffee acquisition announced
[1]Lavazza announced the acquisition of French coffee roaster, distributor and services company MaxiCoffee.
- 2020
Juventus coffee partnership
[1]Lavazza became the official coffee brand used by Juventus under an agreement announced in September 2020.
- 2019
Ready-to-drink cappuccino launch
[1]Lavazza and PepsiCo introduced canned ready-to-drink cappuccino in Europe.
- 2018
Mars UK drinks division acquisition
[1]Lavazza purchased the drinks division of Mars UK.
- 2018
Blue Pod Coffee Co. acquisition
[5]Lavazza acquired Australian coffee-services company Blue Pod Coffee Co.
- 2017
Kicking Horse Coffee investment
[1]Lavazza acquired an 80 percent stake in Canadian coffee company Kicking Horse Coffee.
- 2016
Carte Noire and Merrild acquisition
[1]Lavazza acquired the Carte Noire and Merrild brands from Jacobs Douwe Egberts. Lavazza acquired Carte Noire's coffee business in France from Mondelēz International.
- 2015
Acquisition of Merrild
[5]Lavazza acquired Danish coffee brand Merrild as part of its European expansion.
- 1991
Lavazza Calendar begins
[1]Lavazza launched its annual calendar project, later known for commissioning prominent fashion and fine-art photographers.
- 1895
Luigi Lavazza establishes the Turin grocery business
[1]Luigi Lavazza founded the business in Turin, initially operating from a small grocery shop at Via San Tommaso 10.
Products and positioning
Italian espresso heritage with mass-premium consumer products and professional coffee solutions, increasingly supported by sustainability and responsible-sourcing initiatives.
Packaged coffee
Qualità Oro
A flagship Lavazza coffee line positioned around a refined Italian espresso profile. It is sold in formats including ground coffee and whole beans, depending on market, and represents the company's emphasis on blended coffees designed for consistent aroma and body. Qualità Oro is a long-established Lavazza blend associated with a more refined, aromatic style of Italian coffee. It is offered in multiple formats depending on market, including ground and whole-bean products, and is aimed at consumers seeking a premium home coffee experience.
Packaged coffee
Qualità Rossa
One of Lavazza's best-known consumer coffee lines, Qualità Rossa is associated with a fuller, accessible Italian coffee style. It has been distributed in multiple preparation formats and is especially prominent in the home-consumption portfolio. One of Lavazza's best-known mainstream Italian blends, Qualità Rossa is sold in ground and whole-bean formats and is positioned for everyday moka, espresso, and other household preparations. It represents the company's accessible Italian coffee identity rather than a single-origin specialty offer.
Espresso coffee
Espresso Italiano
Espresso Italiano is a family of coffees intended to express Lavazza's Italian espresso positioning. The range is available in different grind and packaging formats and is aimed at consumers seeking café-style preparation at home.
Capsule system · 2007
A Modo Mio
A Modo Mio is Lavazza's proprietary single-serve capsule system. It combines dedicated machines with capsules containing pre-portioned coffee, offering a convenient home preparation method while retaining espresso-oriented blends and roast profiles. A Modo Mio is Lavazza's home portioned-coffee system, combining proprietary capsules with compatible espresso machines. The range gives the company a presence in the convenience-oriented capsule segment while carrying its Italian espresso positioning into domestic countertop preparation.
Professional capsule system
Lavazza Blue
Lavazza Blue is a capsule platform serving offices, hospitality venues and other professional settings. It is part of the company's broader out-of-home and workplace coffee offer, combining machines, capsules and service support.
Capsule system
Espresso Point
Espresso Point is an established Lavazza capsule system designed for portion-controlled espresso preparation. It has supported both domestic and professional use and helped Lavazza participate in the development of single-serve coffee occasions.
Coffee capsules
Nespresso-compatible capsules
Lavazza also markets capsules compatible with the Nespresso system. These products allow consumers using compatible machines to purchase Lavazza blends while broadening the company's presence across the wider capsule market.
Retail café
Il Caffè di Roma
Il Caffè di Roma is a Lavazza-associated café concept offering prepared coffee and related beverages. Locations have also provided whole-bean and ground coffee for home use, linking the retail experience with packaged products.
Retail café
Espression
Espression is another Lavazza retail coffee concept centered on traditional coffee drinks and the presentation of Italian coffee culture in a café setting.
Sustainability-focused coffee range
Tierra!
Tierra! is a Lavazza range linked to responsible sourcing and sustainability programs in coffee-growing communities. Depending on the market, products may include organic or certified offerings. The range connects consumer coffee with the group's work on farmer livelihoods, agronomy, and environmental resilience.
Professional coffee services
Lavazza Professional
Lavazza Professional serves offices, hotels, restaurants, cafés, vending operators, and other institutional customers. It combines coffee products with machines, dispensing systems, technical support, and service arrangements, allowing the group to participate in out-of-home consumption as well as packaged retail.
Controversies
2019
Intellectual-property claims against Amazon resellers
A lawsuit filed by American resellers alleged that Lavazza brought false or improper intellectual-property lawsuits in an effort to prevent the resale of Lavazza products on Amazon.com. The allegation concerned the company's enforcement strategy and was reported as litigation rather than a confirmed finding of wrongdoing.
Marketing campaigns
- 2020Juventus official coffee partnership
Italy · International
Lavazza became the official coffee brand used by Juventus, integrating its products into the football club's commercial and hospitality activity.
Outcome. The partnership strengthened Lavazza's visibility in Italian football and international sports marketing.
- 2019Lavazza and tennis sponsorship platform
International
Lavazza used its tennis partnerships, including Wimbledon and other tournament relationships, to reinforce an association between coffee, hospitality, performance, and international lifestyle.
Outcome. Tennis remained one of the group's principal global sponsorship territories.
- 2018Liverpool Football Club sponsorship
United Kingdom · International
Lavazza became a sponsor of Liverpool Football Club, using a major football partnership to extend awareness of its Italian coffee brand.
Outcome. The partnership added international sports visibility to Lavazza's marketing program.
- 2018Williams Racing partnership
International
Lavazza partnered with Williams Racing in Formula One and was also associated with Canadian driver Nicholas Latifi through a personal sponsorship arrangement.
Outcome. The activity connected Lavazza with Formula One audiences and motorsport hospitality.
- 2011Wimbledon partnership
United Kingdom · International
Lavazza became an official coffee partner of The Championships, Wimbledon, linking the brand with one of the world's most prominent sporting events and serving coffee across the tournament site.
Outcome. The partnership became a recurring international visibility platform and was extended over subsequent years.
- 1991Lavazza Calendar
International
Lavazza's annual calendar uses high-profile fashion and conceptual photography to build an association between the coffee brand, Italian style and contemporary visual culture. Photographers involved over the years have included Helmut Newton, Ellen von Unwerth, David LaChapelle, Annie Leibovitz, Eugenio Recuenco, Erwin Olaf and Platon.
Outcome. The calendar became a recognized brand-art property and a recurring showcase for Lavazza's visual identity.
Brand decisions
2022
Acquire MaxiCoffeeM&ABackground
Lavazza pursued greater reach in specialist coffee retail, distribution and professional services.
Action taken
Lavazza announced the acquisition of French roaster, distributor and coffee-services supplier MaxiCoffee.
Aftermath
The announced transaction broadened Lavazza's capabilities in the French and wider European coffee ecosystem.
2019
Launch canned ready-to-drink cappuccino with PepsiCoProduct launchBackground
The partners targeted demand for convenient, chilled or portable coffee beverages.
Action taken
Lavazza and PepsiCo launched canned ready-to-drink cappuccino in Europe.
Aftermath
The launch extended Lavazza's brand into a packaged ready-to-drink format.
2018
Purchase Mars UK drinks divisionM&ABackground
Lavazza looked to broaden its beverage activities beyond conventional roasted and packaged coffee.
Action taken
The company purchased the drinks division of Mars UK.
Aftermath
The deal expanded Lavazza's participation in adjacent beverage categories.
Transaction value. 650 million USD (2018)
2018
Enter a broader Australian coffee-services platformM&ABackground
Lavazza wanted to expand its presence in Australia's office, hospitality, and food-service coffee channels.
Action taken
Lavazza acquired Blue Pod Coffee Co.
Aftermath
The deal added local service capabilities and strengthened the group's professional-coffee offering in Australia.
2017
Take a controlling stake in Kicking Horse CoffeeM&ABackground
Lavazza pursued international growth and exposure to a Canadian coffee brand with organic and fair-trade positioning.
Action taken
Lavazza purchased an 80 percent stake in Kicking Horse Coffee.
Aftermath
Lavazza gained a controlling interest in the Canadian company while retaining a local brand platform.
2017
Invest in Kicking Horse CoffeeM&ABackground
Lavazza aimed to build a stronger North American presence and participate in demand for organic and ethically positioned coffee.
Action taken
The group acquired a majority stake in Canadian company Kicking Horse Coffee.
Aftermath
The investment broadened Lavazza's North American platform and added a distinctive Canadian organic coffee brand.
2016
Acquire Carte Noire and MerrildM&ABackground
Lavazza sought to expand its branded coffee presence through established European labels.
Action taken
The company acquired Carte Noire and Merrild from Jacobs Douwe Egberts.
Aftermath
The transaction enlarged Lavazza's portfolio and European market footprint.
2016
Acquire Carte Noire's French coffee businessM&ABackground
France was a strategically important European coffee market in which Lavazza wanted greater scale and brand recognition.
Action taken
Lavazza acquired Carte Noire's coffee business from Mondelēz International.
Aftermath
Lavazza added a major French brand and expanded its local commercial footprint.
2015
Expand European scale through MerrildM&ABackground
Lavazza sought to strengthen its position outside Italy and add established local brands to its international portfolio.
Action taken
The group acquired Danish coffee brand Merrild.
Aftermath
The transaction supported Lavazza's Nordic and wider European expansion.
2007
Launch the A Modo Mio capsule systemProduct launchBackground
Single-serve coffee was becoming an important route for bringing espresso-style preparation into the home.
Action taken
Lavazza introduced A Modo Mio, a capsule and machine system for domestic espresso preparation.
Aftermath
The system gave Lavazza a branded position in the growing portioned-coffee market while complementing its traditional ground and whole-bean products.
Recent events
- 2023
Lavazza extends Wimbledon partnership[7]
Campaign
Lavazza continued its long-running partnership with The Championships, Wimbledon, supplying coffee and using the tournament as a major international brand platform.
- 2022
Lavazza announces acquisition of MaxiCoffee[1]
M&A
Lavazza announced the acquisition of French coffee roaster, distributor and coffee-services provider MaxiCoffee, extending its position in specialist coffee distribution and services.
- 2020
Lavazza becomes an official coffee partner of Juventus[1]
Campaign
A partnership announced in 2020 made Lavazza the official coffee brand used by Juventus Football Club.
- 2019
Lavazza and PepsiCo launch canned cappuccino in Europe[1]
Product launch
Lavazza partnered with PepsiCo to introduce a canned ready-to-drink cappuccino product in European markets.
- 2018
Lavazza purchases Mars UK drinks division[1]
M&A
Lavazza bought the drinks division of Mars UK in a transaction that expanded its activity beyond traditional packaged coffee.
- 2018
Lavazza begins Liverpool Football Club sponsorship[1]
Campaign
Lavazza became a sponsor of Liverpool Football Club, using football partnership activity to strengthen its international brand visibility.
- 2018
Lavazza acquires Blue Pod Coffee Co.[5]
M&A
Lavazza acquired Australian coffee-services company Blue Pod Coffee Co., adding a local platform for office, hospitality, and food-service coffee.
- 2017
Lavazza takes an 80 percent stake in Kicking Horse Coffee[1]
M&A
The group acquired a majority stake in Canadian organic and fair-trade coffee company Kicking Horse Coffee, expanding its presence in North America.
- 2016
Lavazza acquires Carte Noire and Merrild brands[1]
M&A
Lavazza acquired the Carte Noire and Merrild coffee brands from Jacobs Douwe Egberts, expanding its branded coffee portfolio and presence in European markets.
- 2016
Lavazza completes acquisition of Carte Noire[5]
M&A
Lavazza acquired Carte Noire's coffee business in France from Mondelēz International, strengthening its position in the French market.
Sources10 sources
- 1Lavazzaen.wikipedia.org
- 2Lavazza official websitelavazza.com
- 3Lavazza: Our historylavazza.com
- 4Lavazza Group: About uslavazzagroup.com
- 5Lavazza Group: Press releaseslavazzagroup.com
- 6Lavazza Group: Sustainabilitylavazzagroup.com
- 7The Championships, Wimbledon: Partnerswimbledon.com
- 8Lavazza and tennis sponsorship platformlavazzagroup.com
- 9Launch the A Modo Mio capsule systemlavazza.com
- 10Lavazza Acquires 17.71% Of Italy's IVS Group S.Avendingmarketwatch.com
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