Lavazza and Ferran Adrià Explore Coffee Beyond Borders With New Book, Coffee Sapiens

NEW YORK, Sept. 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- "Understand to innovate" is the philosophy that Ferran Adrià, elBullifoundation's founder and Bullipedia creator, has incorporated into his new book, Coffee Sapiens. The book is part of Adrià's Bullipedia encyclopedia project about Western fine dining and features the pivotal  contribution of Lavazza, the long-standing Italian coffee company. Lavazza and Adrià explore how coffee serves as a gateway to study the evolution of the world's cultures, people's habits and customs, and ongoing technological innovation.

Coffee Sapiens examines the vast universe of coffee, sharing research about the beverage's ecosystem in its entirety – from development to production and consumption. The book studies the many unknown facets of coffee, including various formats and characteristics, illuminating previously unknown details about the world of coffee.

"The journey we've embarked on with Lavazza has encouraged me to push the limits of experimentation. The idea of being able to take coffee out of its centuries-old convictions aroused my curiosity," said Adrià. "The Bullipedia project is a philosophy shared by the elBulli team, to show how coffee too can be unexpected and surprising, as well as stimulate research across unimaginable borders."

The book embodies the philosophy shared by both Lavazza and the Bullifoundation: a desire to share knowledge that can be applied to various topics within the coffee industry and beyond. Recognizing that coffee is an integral part of daily life for people all over the world, Coffee Sapiens provides accessible research from accredited experts and trusted resources that can be leveraged as a handbook for professionals in the food and beverage industry, as well as for passion-driven coffee lovers.

"Right from our very first meeting, Ferran Adrià stimulated us with new insights to go beyond and see coffee through new eyes, embracing contamination and experimentation," said Marcello Arcangeli, Head the Lavazza Training Center. "With him, we have focused on the hidden voices of coffee, which belong to all the people who work to grow, process, distribute and bring it into our everyday lives. This methodological approach has revealed new pathways, enabling us to extend our knowledge across the entire coffee matrix. Coffee Sapiens serves as an innovation accelerator for all coffee lovers." 

Coffee Sapiens is a continuation of the partnership between Lavazza and Adrià, which was founded more than 20 years ago on a shared commitment to the study and innovation of coffee. Their commitment to exquisite quality has led to the development of new techniques, concepts and tasting methods. In 2000, the Lavazza Training Center for Coffee Design was developed to help experience coffee through top gastronomy, going beyond traditional gustatory and olfactory sensory experiences.

The initiative also draws on Lavazza's historic partnership with the Pollenzo University of Gastronomic Sciences, the dynamic international education and research institute, which was founded on culinary excellence by the "Slow Food" movement.

Coffee Sapiens is published by Phaidon Press and is available at www.elbullistore.com and www.phaidon.com for $130, as well as at most major book stores.

About Lavazza Group

Established in 1895 in Turin, the Italian coffee company has been owned by the Lavazza family for four generations. Among the world's most important roasters, the Group currently operates in more than 90 countries through subsidiaries and distributors, with 64% of revenues coming from markets outside of Italy. Lavazza employs a total of over 4,000 people with a turnover of € 1.87 billion in 2018 [In its financial statements at 31/12/2018, for the first time Lavazza Group has stated its income and equity values according to international accounting standards (IFRS).]

Lavazza created the concept of blending — or in other words the art of combining different types of coffee from different geographic areas — this continues to be a distinctive feature of most of its products. The company also has 30 years' experience in production and sale of portioned coffee systems and products. It was the first Italian business to offer capsule espresso systems.

Lavazza operates in all business segments: at home, away-from-home and office coffee service, always with a focus on innovation in consumption technologies and systems. Lavazza has been able to develop its brand awareness through important partnerships perfectly in tune with its brand internationalization strategy, such as those in the world of sport with the Grand Slam tennis tournaments, and those in fields of art and culture with prestigious museums like New York's Guggenheim Museum, St. Petersburg's Hermitage State Museum and Melbourne's National Gallery of Victoria.

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 leading Office Coffee Service (OCS) and Vending systems Flavia and Klix.

SOURCE Lavazza Group