Lavazza Partnering with WeWork to Provide Sustainable Coffee Options

Lavazza will offer WeWork members in the U.S. and Canada access to its products in WeWork locations and at home.  

NEW YORK, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Lavazza is pleased to announce that it has partnered with WeWork as the flexible workspace provider's premier coffee partner in the U.S. and Canada, serving the WeWork community across its portfolio of over 300 locations. Lavazza's ongoing dedication to sustainable initiatives, which has garnered consistent recognition by the Reputation Institute including a top 10 placement in 2019, made for the perfect partnership to bring a conscious coffee offering to WeWork members. In addition to serving coffee throughout WeWork buildings, Lavazza will also offer WeWork members the opportunity to enjoy its products at home.

"Lavazza is proud to partner with WeWork to provide a more sustainable offering for their workforce and beyond," said Davide Riboni, President of Lavazza  BU Americas. "While Lavazza has a proven history of supporting environmental initiatives, we feel that now more than ever, investing in the future of our earth is not just the 'new normal' - it is essential."

"At WeWork, coffee represents an important part of our workplace experience - from offering our members drip coffee and cold brew on tap to dedicated barista bars in select locations and more," said Hamid Hashemi, Chief Product & Experience Officer. "We are thrilled to have Lavazza as our partner, helping our members better fuel their work day, every day."

Lavazza will outfit over 300 WeWork locations across the United States and Canada with Lavazza machines serving coffee, espresso, and cold brew from the eco-friendly ¡Tierra! and Alteco product ranges. ¡Tierra! coffees are part of Lavazza's ¡Tierra! Project, an initiative of the Lavazza Foundation which has supported the development of economic, cultural and environmental conditions of coffee growing regions for over 15 years. ¡Tierra! coffees are Rainforest Certified, indicating they are sourced from more sustainable agricultural practices that protect ecosystems and support farm workers with fair wages and dignified living conditions. Separate from the ¡Tierra! Project, Alteco Organic Premium Blend is 100% organic and carries UTZ and USDA Organic certifications, verifying environmentally friendly farming practices.

The ¡Tierra! Project initiatives in Colombia and Brazil have empowered thousands of farmers to grow quality coffee utilizing sustainable agricultural practices. Including the ¡Tierra! Project, the Lavazza Foundation has 21 projects in 14 countries aimed at improving the productivity and quality of coffee cultivation while promoting independence for over 60,000 producers. Since 2015, Lavazza has released its annual Sustainability report to gauge the environmental impact of brand practices and inform future initiatives.

About Lavazza Group

Lavazza, founded in Turin in 1895, has been owned by the Lavazza family for four generations. As one of the world's most important coffee roasters, the Group now operates in more than 140 countries through its subsidiaries and distributors, with 70% of turnover generated on international markets. Lavazza employs a total of over 4,000 people and in 2019 generated sales of € 2.2 billion.

Lavazza, one of the 100 most prestigious international brands according to the Reputation Institute, is ranked ninth in the world in the Corporate Responsibility field in the Global CR RepTrak Ranking 2019, also achieving first place in the Food & Beverage sector and among Italian companies. Lavazza invented the principle of blending in its early years, i.e. mixing coffees from different geographical origins, which is still a key feature of most of its products today. Lavazza has been producing and marketing portioned coffee systems and products for 30 years and was the first Italian supplier of espresso capsule systems. Lavazza's activities cover all its business areas, such as At-home, Away-From-Home and Office Coffee Service, always with a particular attention to innovative technologies and systems.

Lavazza has been able to increase brand awareness through important partnerships that are precisely in line with its internationalization strategy. This concerns the sports sector, with the support of Grand Slam tennis tournaments, and art through partnerships with prestigious museums, including the Guggenheim Museum in New York and the State Hermitage in St. Petersburg.

Companies that form part of the Lavazza Group include France's Carte Noire and ESP (acquired in 2016 and 2017 respectively), Denmark's Merrild (2015), North America's Kicking Horse Coffee (2017), Italy's Nims (2017), and the business of Australia's Blue Pod Coffee Co (2018). At the end of 2018, following an acquisition, the Lavazza Professional Business Unit was created, which includes the Office Coffee Service (OCS) and Vending systems Flavia and Klix

About WeWork

WeWork provides members with space, community, and services through physical and virtual offerings. As of 2020 second-quarter close, WeWork has 843 locations, in 150 cities and 38 countries across the world, as well as 612,000 memberships — with Enterprise representing 48% of that total.