“There is no point in talking about a family business if you cannot be a family within the company.” This is the value vision that, for four generations, has constituted the DNA of the Lavazza Group, the historic Made in Italy espresso brand, one of the best-known and best-loved in the world.
A success with distant roots
Its story began 128 years ago, back in 1895, when Luigi Lavazza, born in 1859, from the province of Alessandria (Murisengo) was sent to Turin by his farmer father to seek a better life. Determined and visionary, Luigi works as a labourer and goes to school in the evenings. After finishing his studies, he used his savings to take over a small artisanal coffee roastery in the centre of Turin, which would soon stand out thanks to an intuition destined to change the history of coffee. Luigi Lavazza was the first to propose blending for home consumption, a product with a more balanced taste than the coffee on the market until then, capable of meeting with the public’s favour and becoming an immediate success.
Growing and innovating
In 1922, Luigi purchased Eureka, a machine capable of roasting 12 kg of coffee in a single cycle, and the business took the first step towards industrial production. The following year, Lavazza was already Italy’s leading coffee processing company.
Still in the name of innovation, Luigi was the first to choose Pergamin as a packaging material for the blend, thanks to its ability to preserve aromas and flavours over time.
After overcoming the enormous difficulties of the war, with naval blockades preventing the importation of coffee, Luigi Lavazza returned to Murisengo with his wife Emilia, leaving the company, more united and solid than ever, in the hands of his children Mario, Maria, Giuseppe, and Pericle.
Enhancing the brand through communication
The family grows, and so does the company. Emilio and Alberto are the third generation of the Lavazza family, and their contribution has mainly to do with the commercial approach and brand identity. In fact, the company is among the first in Italy to focus on communication to enhance the brand. Thus began the collaboration with Armando Testa’s agency, which resulted in campaigns that made the history of Italian advertising. We are in the years when television first appeared in our homes, yet who does not remember Caballero and Carmencita, the undisputed stars of Carosello?
The advent of coffee capsules
The Settimo Torinese plant was opened in 1965, and the famous Qualità Rossa blend was produced in 1970. In 1989, ahead of its time, the first proprietary Espresso Point capsule system was created thanks to the acquisition of the single-serving capsule manufacturer Uno Per. In the 2000s, innovation concerned the world of coffee capsules, which grew thanks to the launch of BLUE in 2003, a revolutionary self-protected capsule system intended for the world of offices and large public spaces and, in 2007, of ‘A modo mio’, a proprietary capsule system designed to offer authentic Italian espresso at home.
Social commitment
The company’s involvement with social issues grew alongside the business. In 2004, the non-profit Giuseppe and Pericle Lavazza Foundation was established to improve coffee growers’ living conditions. To date, it has implemented 32 projects in 20 countries, involving more than 136,000 workers.
Today, Lavazza Group is an international company, world leader in capsules, coffee machines and espresso coffee, and maintains its headquarters in Turin under the chairmanship of Giuseppe Lavazza (appointed in 2019 Cavaliere del Lavoro by Sergio Mattarella) and the leadership of CEO, Antonio Baravalle. With 5,500 employees on five continents, Lavazza’s turnover is almost €4 billion (73% of which is generated abroad), thanks to a sales network operating in 140 countries.
Congratulations to those who bring Made in Italy blends and values to the world!
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