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Learning from coffee sellers #3

A good idea, good marketing and good sales skills helped Emilio Lavazza spread the concept of the Turin coffee bar through Italy and the world from the 1950s to today.

Mr Lavazza, who died earlier this year, and his family business developed vacuum-packed coffee, which meant that cafe-quality coffee became widely available. Secondly, they invested in advertising on television, which set up their coffee brands as the benchmark for quality. Finally, they exported their coffee to the world.

The family business started out as a grocery store in 1895 but when Mr Lavazza joined the business as a salesman it specialised in supplying coffee. His passion for all things coffee helped him to persuade his father to invest in technology and marketing. Importantly, he never stopped investing in new ideas and never lost his passion for coffee.

This focus made his company the most successful in Italy and has helped the world think of Italy as the home of coffee.
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