Coffee
Lavazza's Research & Development department manages the entire coffee supply chain, starting from the selection of coffee harvesting methods.
Raw material
Raw material

The purchase of raw material is monitored by the department’s experts who, through the application of precise quality standards for each source of coffee, evaluate its features before buying the necessary batches for production. Today, the visual selection and the cataloguing of each source of coffee takes place in the country where it is grown; each variety is placed on the market according to precise quality and price criteria. The department’s experts choose which coffee to buy based on the standards that need to be guaranteed by Lavazza blends.

Manufacturing plant
Manufacturing plant

Upon arrival at the factory, all phases (handling, storage, creation of blends and preparation for roasting) are monitored by a centralized information system.

Blending
Blending

Blending, roasting and grinding are at the heart of the coffee production process. They are the key stages that make a coffee unique, the points at which our experts take action more frequently to monitor the whole process. The creation of the blends, developed in the department, is checked by Lavazza experts, by our IT system and by a panel of connoisseurs who taste each blend to guarantee the same result in the cup year after year and the same flavour for each blend.

Roasting
Roasting

The roasting is done in drum and air convection machines. Through them, we ensure the right level of roasting for each blend. A pilot roasting system allows us to perform a small test cycle, roasting a sample quantity of coffee before proceeding with mass production.

Grinding
Grinding

The grinding, which changes depending on the final use of the blend, is also managed automatically by our IT system and checked by the department. The ground coffee is then stored in special atmosphere-controlled silos, which protect it from oxidizing agents (light, oxygen, heat and moisture) before it is quickly sent for packaging. Packaging materials and shapes are essential for optimum preservation of the blend and the department is constantly looking for increasingly effective solutions.

Decaffeination
Decaffeination

The decaffeination method adopted at Lavazza is also the result of research from our Research & Development department. The Pozzilli manufacturing plant uses the innovative, supercritical CO2 extraction process, which affects the beans in a natural yet selective manner, preserving their organoleptic properties. In precise conditions of pressure and temperature (supercritical, the intermediate state between liquid and gaseous), carbon dioxide has the powerful ability to selectively bind with caffeine alone, extracting it without damaging the aromatic components of the coffee.

Coffee extraction
Coffee extraction

The last stage in the chain is, of course, coffee extraction, when the product becomes a moment of taste, pleasure and sharing, and all the passion invested by Lavazza comes to fruition. With new technology and the barista courses at the Training Centre, we are able to control this stage as well to guarantee quality Lavazza espresso, down to the last sip.