WATERBURY, Vt. & TURIN, Italy – Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. and Luigi Lavazza SpA announced yesterday that they have reached a multi-year agreement to bring the authenticity of Italy’s favorite coffee, Lavazza, to K-Cup packs for the Keurig hot brewing system.
The companies plan to launch Lavazza coffees, Gran Aroma, Classico, Gran Selezione, Perfetto in K-Cup packs for Keurig brewers in the fall of 2014.
The new Lavazza K-Cup packs will be marketed as premium products and available at Keurig.com and Lavazza.com as well as at participating specialty, grocery, and away-from-home retailers and operators, throughout the United States. Lavazza K-Cup packs will be available in Canada in 2015.
In 2012, GMCR and Lavazza partnered to launch the Keurig Rivo Cappuccino and Latte System, delivering an innovative new brewing platform designed exclusively for the North American espresso-based beverage drinker.
“We are excited to be expanding our partnership with Italy’s premier coffee brand in order to bring consumers the authentic flavors of Italian coffee at the touch of a button,” said Brian P. Kelley, GMCR’s President and CEO.
“Like the Keurig Rivo espresso packs, Lavazza K-Cup packs will combine the brand’s unwavering commitment to quality and passion for the coffee experience with the convenience and consistency they have come to expect from Keurig brewed beverages.”
Lavazza, a family-owned company since 1895, is the symbol of Italian coffee around the world, a global icon representing the authentic Italian experience, bringing well over a century of history in roasting and blending and a passionate dedication to absolute quality to their coffee and espresso blends. “We are thrilled to build upon our successful partnership on the Keurig Rivo System with GMCR to leverage their single cup brewing technology and bring our premium coffee blends into the homes of coffee connoisseurs everywhere,” said Antonio Baravalle, Lavazza’s CEO.
GMCR’s Keurig brewers for in home and office use innovative brewing and single cup technology to deliver a fresh-brewed, perfect cup of hot or brewed over ice coffee, tea, cocoa, or fruit brews every time at just the touch of a button. According to the NPD Group, Keurig brewers were the top four bestselling coffee makers by dollar sales during GMCR’s fiscal first quarter 2014.
About Luigi Lavazza S.p.A.
Established in 1895, the company has been owned by the Lavazza family for four generations. Lavazza is one of the most important roasters in the world and the retail marketplace leader in Italy.
Today Lavazza is present with its subsidiaries and distributors in over 90 countries and operates worldwide in the Home and Away-from-Home categories. The company has 25 years of tradition in the production and marketing of systems and products for the portioned coffee segment.
Lavazza’s headquarters in North America are based in New York City.
About Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc.
As a leader in specialty coffee and coffee makers, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. (GMCR), is recognized for its award-winning coffees, innovative Keurig Single Cup brewing technology, and socially responsible business practices.
GMCR supports local and global communities by investing in sustainably-grown coffee, and donating a portion of its pre-tax profits to social and environmental projects. For more information visit: www.gmcr.com.
