Lavazza Coffee, is increasing its presence in the UK with the launch of a limited-edition, premium instant coffee – Prontissimo! – a first for the 119 year old Italian company.
According to recent Euromonitor and Nielsen data, the UK consumes by far and away the most instant coffee in Europe, with almost three quarters of coffee drinkers choosing instant.
Turnover in the instant category is three times that of roast and ground with the emergence of a new premium sector, Instant & Roasted (also known as Whole Bean Instant) is experiencing rapid growth and now represents 8% of category turnover.
David Rogers, managing director at Lavazza UK, reinforced the brand’s decision to expand its presence in the UK – a priority market for Lavazza – with an initial two products in the new Prontissimo! range.
He said: “With a strong Italian heritage, our core focus has traditionally been the espresso market.
“We cannot, though, ignore the UK’s love affair with instant coffee and the opportunity that comes with it being the fastest growing sector which is currently dominated by two brands.
‘There’s a real opportunity for Lavazza to apply our specialist coffee expertise and develop a high quality product which maintains our premium, authentic Italian positioning.
“It also gives us the opportunity to appeal to a whole new segment of coffee drinkers.’
Lavazza plans to attract a new, younger audience with Prontissimo!, stating that newcomers to the coffee sector initially start drinking instant coffee before upgrading to ground coffee, then moving on to espresso-based styles as their tastes evolve.
Produced using 100% Arabica beans sourced from Columbia, Prontissimo! claims to be the highest quality instant coffee on the market, with a higher percentage of roast and ground coffee (in its medium roast variety) than any other instant coffee currently on the market.
Available in two varieties; Prontissimo! Medio, a medium roast which contains 20% microground coffee, is sweet and round, with low acidity.
While Prontissimo! Intenso is a dark roast which contains 10% microground coffee and is well balanced with notes of roast and caramel.
Prontissimo is initially available through a select number of Sainsbury’s and Waitrose stores from mid-November, RRP£4.79 for a 100g tin and RRP£3.89 for an 80g pack.
