Lavazza Group

What does Lavazza own?
Lavazza Group owns the Lavazza brand (global Italian coffee), Carte Noire (French coffee), Merrild (Danish coffee), and Kicking Horse Coffee (Canadian organic coffee). The company also operates Lavazza coffee shops, the Lavazza A Modo Mio single-serve system, and the Tabli 100 percent coffee tab system launched in 2025. Lavazza maintains production facilities in Italy, France, the United Kingdom, Brazil, India, Canada, and the United States.

Is Lavazza publicly traded?
No, Lavazza Group is not publicly traded. The Lavazza family privately owns the company through Luigi Lavazza S.p.A., now in its fourth generation of ownership. Antonio Baravalle serves as CEO. The company publishes annual financial statements but is not required to file detailed public disclosures.

Who founded Lavazza?
Lavazza was founded in 1895 by Luigi Lavazza, who opened a small grocery store in Turin, Italy. Lavazza began roasting and selling coffee, experimenting with blends of beans from different origins. This blending approach was novel at the time and became the foundation of the company's identity. The business was formally incorporated as Luigi Lavazza S.p.A. in 1927.

Where is Lavazza headquartered?
Lavazza Group is headquartered in Turin, Piedmont, Italy. The city has been the company's base since its founding in 1895. Turin serves as the center for Lavazza's Italian operations, including its main production facilities and corporate offices.

How many brands does Lavazza own?
Lavazza Group owns four main coffee brands: Lavazza (global), Carte Noire (France), Merrild (Denmark), and Kicking Horse Coffee (Canada). The company also operates the Lavazza A Modo Mio and Tabli single-serve systems and a network of Lavazza coffee shops.

Who owns Lavazza?
Lavazza is privately owned by the Lavazza family, descendants of founder Luigi Lavazza. The family is now in its fourth generation of ownership. The company is controlled through Luigi Lavazza S.p.A., the holding company. Antonio Baravalle serves as CEO, managing day-to-day operations under the family's oversight.

What is Tabli?
Tabli is a single-serve coffee system launched by Lavazza in 2025 to mark the company's 130th anniversary. The system uses a 100 percent coffee tab and a dedicated machine, eliminating the need for a protective capsule. The product resulted from extensive research, industrialization, and patent development, and aims to offer a more sustainable alternative to traditional aluminum or plastic coffee capsules.

Lavazza was founded in 1895 by Luigi Lavazza, who opened a small grocery store at Via San Tommaso 10 in Turin. Lavazza began roasting and selling coffee, experimenting with blends of different bean origins. This was a novel approach at a time when most coffee sellers offered single-origin beans. Luigi Lavazza's blending philosophy became the foundation of the company's identity.

The company grew through the early 20th century, establishing itself as a quality coffee roaster in Turin and northern Italy. In 1927, the business was formally incorporated as Luigi Lavazza S.p.A. The company survived both World Wars and the economic disruptions of the early 20th century, maintaining its focus on coffee roasting.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Lavazza introduced innovations that expanded its market position. The company launched vacuum-packed coffee, which extended shelf life and improved product quality for retail distribution. Lavazza also developed early espresso blends, positioning itself as a leader in Italy's growing espresso culture. The brand became synonymous with Italian coffee in domestic and international markets.

International expansion accelerated in the 1970s and 1980s. Lavazza established distribution networks across Europe and entered new markets in the Americas and Asia. The company invested in production facilities outside Italy, including sites in France and India, to serve local markets more efficiently.

The 2010s brought transformative acquisitions. In 2016, Lavazza acquired Carte Noire (France) and Merrild (Denmark) from Jacobs Douwe Egberts, significantly expanding its European footprint. In the same period, Lavazza acquired Kicking Horse Coffee in Canada, entering the organic coffee segment. These acquisitions nearly doubled the company's revenue over the following decade, from approximately 1.9 billion euros in 2016 to 3.9 billion euros in 2025.

In 2025, Lavazza celebrated its 130th anniversary and launched Tabli, a new single-serve system. Tabli uses a 100 percent coffee tab and a dedicated machine, eliminating the need for a protective capsule. The product is the result of extensive research, industrialization, and patent development. It represents Lavazza's effort to compete in the single-serve market with a more sustainable format than traditional aluminum or plastic capsules.

The 2025 financial results showed revenue of 3.9 billion euros, EBITDA of 340 million euros, and net profit of 92 million euros. The net financial position improved to negative 432 million euros from negative 511 million euros in 2024. The company invested 146 million euros in capital expenditure, including expansion of its production capacity in the United States, particularly at the West Chester, Pennsylvania plant, which covers 50 percent of the American market's needs.

Lavazza publishes sustainability commitments through its "Tierra!" program, which focuses on sustainable coffee sourcing, farmer support programs, and environmental initiatives. The company has invested in coffee-growing communities in Honduras, Colombia, Peru, Brazil, and India, providing training and resources to smallholder farmers.

The company's 2025 activity report references a Sustainability-Linked loan from primary financial institutions, tying financing terms to sustainability performance targets. Lavazza also highlights its efforts in packaging reduction and supply chain transparency.

However, Lavazza's sustainability reporting is largely self-reported. The company has not published independently verified carbon reduction targets through the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). The coffee industry faces inherent sustainability challenges related to deforestation, water usage, and climate change impacts on coffee-growing regions. The record coffee price increases of 2021-2025, driven partly by climate-related crop failures, underscore these challenges.

The Tabli system, launched in 2025, addresses the sustainability concern of single-serve coffee waste. By using a 100 percent coffee tab without a protective capsule, the system eliminates the aluminum or plastic waste associated with traditional capsule formats.