How we work

The communities

 

 

 

In our Group, we're driven by a profound sense of responsibility towards the communities in which we operate: from those consisting of coffee-producers, to those supported by our companies in their respective countries. 

For this reason, we drew up a wide-ranging programme of activities to engage these communities, with the aim of creating shared value and generating a positive impact in the social, economic and environmental spheres. 

 

Coffee is a product of the land, and the farmers who grow it represent the cornerstone of the supply chain, which starts with the coffee bean and culminates in the espresso cup. So we recognise the vital importance of coffee-producing communities, to which we dedicate a series of projects for the promotion of socioeconomic growth through sustainable farming. With the firm belief that coffee-growing represents a development platform, as well as a means to build a new, more balanced relationship with the environment.

 

 

 

 

The Lavazza Foundation

In the years since its establishment in 2004, the non-profit Giuseppe e Pericle Lavazza Foundation has organised 33 projects in 20 Countries and 3 continents, the  benefits of which are felt by over 180.000 coffee-growers. One aim shared by all of the programmes is the development of sustainable entrepreneurship, to bring about an improvement in the living conditions of the entire community.

 

The Foundation supports the autonomy of local communities by emphasising the value of female workers involving the younger generations. It encourages good agricultural practices in order to improve crop yields and coffee quality, and promotes the introduction of technological tools as a means to counter the effects of climate change.

The projects also encourage the diversification of production, in order to avoid soil impoverishment, and reforestation, to help preserve the ecosystem. The management of these activities is entrusted to local operators, such as agronomists, trainers and institutions, to make it easier to engage the coffee-producing communities and build relationships of trust with everyone involved.

 

 

 

 

¡Tierra!

This is a global Lavazza-brand project launched in 2002 with the aim of supporting the social and economic development of local communities by promoting good agricultural practices on coffee plantations. Initially active in small farming communities in Colombia, Honduras and Peru, over the years ¡Tierra! has expanded to an additional 19 countries, individually involving the farmers and their families.

 

During the initial phase of the project, we decided to support its narrative through the artistic language of photography, entrusting it to the curious and deep gaze of Steve McCurry. The artist has in fact grasped the genuine humanity of coffee growers and their families, portrayed the intimacy of their everyday life. The result is a report that tells the beginning of an extraordinary journey that still lasts today.

What’s more, in certain areas we made it possible to produce high-quality washed Arabica blends destined for ¡Tierra!. This coffee comes from 100% sustainable agriculture certified by the NGO Rainforest Alliance, an international organisation that promotes the use of agricultural practices to safeguard the environment and guarantees dignified living conditions for farmers.

 

The variety produced in Colombia is one example of the impact that this programme has had on local communities; containing, as it does, coffee from the Meta region at the foot of the Andes. Here, coffee-growing had been abandoned for years as a result of internal armed conflict. That was before ¡Tierra! helped over one hundred farming families restore their plantations using sustainable techniques, to give the communities greater economic security and autonomy.

 

 

Coffee&Climate

Coffee&Climate is a technical panel in which Giuseppe Lavazza is co-chair. It is comprised of sector companies and governmental agencies for developmental cooperation, and aims to tackle the challenges that climate change poses for the sector. In this undertaking it is supported by International Coffee Partners (ICP), an association that unites the major coffee-producing and trading companies, of which Lavazza is a founding member.

 

Coffee&Climate’s objective is to identify concrete solutions to help farmers preserve their crops and the quality thereof, as well as developing sustainability programmes to improve social, economic and environmental conditions for coffee-growing communities. To date, over 84,000 families have been involved in this programme, with a target of over 130,000 to be reached by 2023.

A Cup of Learning

Our efforts to support communities also include the training programme, A Cup of Learning, dedicated to young people searching for job opportunities in the world of coffee, particularly those coming from disadvantaged social groups. A Cup of Learning offers two different courses: one dedicated to green coffee, with a focus on the sensory analysis of coffee, processing techniques, and tasting and evaluating products based on their origins; the other, meanwhile, is dedicated to espresso coffee, concentrating on the theory and practice of “Being a Barista”.

 

Our Group’s professionals are involved in a hands-on capacity, making their experience available to others through training courses held directly in coffee-producing countries or at the Training Center in Turin. As of 2017, over 300 individuals have benefited from this initiative, acquiring the needed skills to join the work force in 16 countries: Italy, the Dominican Republic, India, Albania, Haiti, Brazil, Cuba, Peru, Ivory Coast, Honduras, Ecuador, US, Australia, France, Germany and the United Kingdom.

Emphasis on the community along the supply chain

Relationships with suppliers are built on our founding values: Authenticity, Passion for Excellence, Responsibility and Inventiveness. These represent the essence of Lavazza’s Code of Ethics which, along with the Supplier Code of Conduct and the Employee Code of Conduct, embodies the principles to which all of our brands aspire. In addition to these, Lavazza adheres to the ten principles of the United Nations’ Global Compact, which promote respect for human rights and workers and, specifically, reject all forms of forced labour and child labour, while at the same time promoting environmental protection.  

 

In 2017, we also decided to strengthen our long-standing partnership with Save the Children — dating back to the early 2000s — by adhering to the Children’s Rights and Business Principles, the guidelines that promote respect and support for children’s rights through conduct of daily business activities.  In 2021, this partnership celebrated its first 20 years, during which various projects successfully contributed to children's wellbeing.

 

 

TOward 2030. 

What are you doing?

In order to spread the culture of sustainability, we decided to use a variety of visual languages to raise awareness and boost the engagement of the communities with which we work directly.

 

Among the most important of these projects, TOward 2030. What are you doing? stands out. This collaboration with the City of Turin consisted of the production of works of street art inspired by the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. 

 

These murals, created by international artists at strategic locations throughout the city, were designed to provoke debate and engage citizens — particularly young people — through the communicative power of art, starting with the title of the project itself. 

The question What are you doing? acts as a challenge and a reminder that the task of safeguarding the Planet is up to every single person. As a result, Turin became the first city to act as an ambassador for the Sustainable Development Goals, an example of best practices replicable on an international level.

 

 

The environment

Our commitment to reducing environmental impact.

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