Lavazza coffee tab innovation could disrupt the single-serve segment
An “innovative system offering a new coffee consumption experience,” Tabli from Lavazza pairs a novel, 100% coffee tab, which eliminates the need for a protective wrap during coffee extraction, and with a specially designed machine. Tabli effectively creates a new product category in the coffee field, the company says.
Tabli grew out Lavazza’s acquisition of Italian startup Caffemotive in 2020 and its tab idea. Lavazza developed technology that earned 15 new patents to create the coffee and tab system, including new technology for tab production and an industrial-scale-up project to ensure consistent quality.
The single-serve coffee segment saw global growth in 2024, with volume up 4% and value rising 3%. Driven by demand for convenience and quality at home, the market is also benefiting from sustainable, circular economy solutions.
Tablì fits into this context, notes the company, by complementing the Lavazza Group’s other offerings for at-home consumption: ground coffee, beans, capsules and pods.
Lavazza previewed the new coffee system as its board of directors approved its consolidated financial statements for the period ending December 31, 2024.
What they are saying
“The coffee industry is facing increasingly complex challenges in a critical and highly volatile macroeconomic and geopolitical context, marked by the continuous rise in raw material costs. Quality is fundamental to us and remains the cornerstone of our relationship of trust with consumers — this means continuing to absorb very high costs.
“In this scenario, the Lavazza Group has demonstrated strength and flexibility, achieving solid results in 2024. These turbulences have required, more than ever, a constant ability to adapt and manage costs at all levels, both operational and capital-related, while maintaining a healthy profitability. This has enabled us to continue safeguarding and enhancing our people and to preserve our investment capacity — essential to remain increasingly competitive in the global coffee market,” said Lavazza Group CEO Antonio Baravalle in a release.
He continued: “2025 opened with a still very complex trajectory: not only an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape, but also further record increases in raw material prices, compounded by the current issue of tariffs in the United States. Despite these difficulties, we have always wanted to maintain our investment in R&D, and in the year of our 130th anniversary we are ready to relaunch with the innovative Tablì system, which allows us to introduce a new product category — the ‘tab’ made of 100% coffee — in a strategic segment such as single-serve.”
Lavazza financials show strategic growth despite coffee price surge
In 2024, global coffee prices rose: Arabica and Robusta jumped more than 70% compared to 2023, with further increases expected in early 2025. Rising raw material costs and inflation impacted consumer spending, leading to a global coffee market contraction of 3.5% over two years.
Lavazza responded with tight cost controls and strategic investments, according to its financial report for the year ending December 21, 2024, achieving approximately $3.65 billion (€3.35 billion) in revenue (up 9.1%), $340 million (€312 million) in EBITDA (up 18.6%), and a 20.6% rise in net profit to $89 million (€82 million). Growth in the United States (up 12%) helped offset challenges in Europe while Italy and France still saw revenue increases of 4% and 2%.
Lavazza credits its diversification, acquisitions such as MaxiCoffee and IVS Group, and continued investment in ESG and employee development for having reinforced its resilience amid market turbulence.
