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Lavazza: the Italian Expresso Experience
With the continuing rise of café culture, consumers expect quality and choice from their coffee. They demand a certain level of service and product, and bars should be striving to deliver this experience every day to encourage customer loyalty.
Catering in Scotland showcases Italy's favourite coffee…
Lavazza offers an 'Italian espresso experience' through its Away From Home division, selling over 1,000 tonnes of top quality coffee each year to outlets from hotels and bars to cafés and restaurants throughout Scotland and the UK.
Throughout 2008, Lavazza continued to invest in two core areas; making premium coffee blends and barista training for its out-of-home customers, and in 2007 the company opened a high-tech training facility as part of its new UK headquarters. The training centre, one of 43 worldwide, marks Lavazza's dedication to promoting espresso culture and its continued commitment to quality coffee preparation. Each year, Lavazza trains over 1,300 baristas in the UK as part of its dedicated training programme and this comprehensive schedule will continue throughout 2009.
For foodservice operators, Lavazza advises that having the right equipment is only part of the story. Choosing a quality coffee, coupled with a well-trained barista, is essential to produce consistent results, and this can be achieved thorough training from bean to cup.
At the new Lavazza training centre, baristas learn a range of skills for all machines they may work with. There are also video filming facilities, where trainees are able to watch and review their coffee-making techniques.
'Because we always source only the best coffee, we are committed to training for all baristas to ensure that they are continually producing great results,' says Barry Kither, Sales and Marketing Director of Lavazza UK. 'As a leading coffee brand we want to help our customers serve our product in the best possible way, which is why we have introduced our dedicated investment and resources impressive training facility.'
'We trained over 1,500 people in 2007 at our specialist training centre in White City, and the training centre in Uxbridge has been equally popular with baristas. Our training is free and tailored to individual customer requirements, so it can really reap rewards.'
Fairtrade and sustainable products also continue to be prominent in both the retail and the away-from-home markets. Lavazza's long-term sustainable project, Tierra!, produces a 100% Arabica coffee, blended from beans grown in selected plantations in Honduras, Columbia and Peru.
Unlike Fairtrade, which guarantees a set price for its producers, the Tierra! Project actually invests in these specific communities, funding activities ranging from teaching improved irrigation techniques to building new homes and schools. Certified by the Rainforest Alliance, an international non-governmental organisation active in the promotion of sustainability, Tierra! has seen a steady increase in sales over the last year and this is set to continue in 2009.
'Ethical issues are now a commercial imperative within the UK and it is here that the Tierra product has performed best,' explains Kither. 'For catering outlets, the product has worked defensively and strategically as customers opt for ethical product, and are willing to pay the premium for these.'
For further information on stocking Lavazza coffee call 01895 209 750 or visit www.lavazza.com.
This article has been edited from its original version. For the complete feature, please see Catering in Scotland magazine February/March 2009.
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