Author: Elena Montironi – International Master in Food and Beverage Management
After several online meetings with various managers and representatives from Lavazza, ESCP Business School was able to give the International Master in Food and Beverage Management programme students the opportunity to visit the Turin plant in person. It was a unique experiential trip inside the factory, which allowed us to get a closer look at the incredible world of coffee and thus appreciate its different nuances.
Turin, the native land of Espresso Coffee, has once again been rewarded thanks to the innovation and search for perfection conducted by the Lavazza brand. The 3,000 square meter complex in Settimo hosts an exceptional sensory experience that features the delicate combination of coffee history and pioneering technology. 1895 Coffee Designers, the new Lavazza brand, aims to educate the consumer about the ancestral world of coffee.
Special thanks also goes to one of the IFBM Alumni, Sebastian-Alexander Demel, a determined, ambitious young man who has quickly acquired an important position within the company.
The visit, also guided by an expert Coffelier, begins with the origins of the raw materials selected for the specialties, associated with the concept of sustainability: a theme on which the Turin brand is focusing significant attention. The journey continues with a look at the coffee plant from a biological point of view, then arrives at the sensory room and finally reaches the actual trip taken by the refined beans within the production process.
The company’s know-how and the strong focus on the supply chain, allow it to create Premium products while maintaining waste at around 0.2%. The art of roasting proposed by Lavazza requires synergy between engineers, technologists and coffee experts. The roasting process can be summarised in 7 crucial phases, carefully correlated to timing and temperature, which are constantly monitored by the latest generation of equipment adopted by the company
Consistent with the sustainable process is also the packaging designed for 1895 specialty coffees, which uses 100% recyclable materials and an innovative design, in 3 different sizes: 125g, 250g and 500g.
The unique experience of the Development Manager and Coffee Designer, Cristiano Portis, results in the collection of 7 specialty coffees selected from Microlotto – Opera Prima from Yemen – and Monorigine – Kilele from Kenya, Encantado from Colombia, Cafunè from Brazil. Joining these excellences are also the specialty blends, refined combinations that bear the names Cocoa Rebel, Petal Storm, Hypnotic Fruit. Opera Prima is described in detail in the sensorial room thanks to an evocative video about Yemen, to raise awareness.
The excellence of 1895 Coffee Designers, has been widely appreciated and embraced by important names such as Iginio Massari and Cucine Nervi to generate brand equity, and emblems of the fashion industry such as Prada, who have become Ambassadors for the project.
How to best end a visit if not with a tasting? The Coffee Cave is an intimate and meticulously designed area designed for the closing of the experiential journey. Here we could finally appreciate in all of their majesty the explosion of flavours, the refinement of the raw material and the symphony of aromas that inebriated our palate
Personally I was fascinated to see the passion with which the Project Manager and Alumnus, Sebastian-Alexander, led us into the managerial part of the project, and by the attention to detail seen throughout the production phases. Special thanks once again to ESCP Business School, which allowed us to experience this unique educational moment. This has been a great source of inspiration for our future as F&B Managers.
