Lavazza and the Basque Culinary Center have signed a collaboration agreement with the aim of contributing to elevating the coffee culture in Spain through the training of young talents who are starting their careers in the gastronomic field. The collaboration between Lavazza and the Basque Culinary Center will represent a unique opportunity to create synergies, initiatives and opportunities for the development of projects within the world of gastronomy, with a comprehensive 360º vision. The Horeca channel will be one of the key points of the agreement, training the best future baristas and waiters in order to professionalise the dining area of restaurants and raise the level of consumer demand in the coffee experience.

Specifically, the collaboration will be focused on the Faculty of Gastronomic Sciences of the Basque Culinary Center, where the center offers the bachelor's degree in Gastronomy and Culinary Arts and a Doctoral Program in Gastronomic Sciences, among other master's degrees and specialization courses. This strategic partnership will establish a strong bond between both actors, providing a foundation for mutual growth and the achievement of shared goals. Lavazza will be present in the day-to-day running of the Basque Culinary Center through personalised training, support for young talents and participation in gastronomy and gastronomic marketing events and initiatives. This commitment reinforces Lavazza's role as a key player in the evolution and promotion of gastronomic culture around the world.

According to Víctor Santos, Iberia Regional Sales Manager at Lavazza: "We are very proud to announce this collaboration agreement between Lavazza and Basque Culinary Center. We both share the same vision of gastronomy and the importance of training professionals in the Horeca channel, but our commitment is not only to the quality of coffee, but to gastronomic culture in general. As part of the company's DNA, we will continue to collaborate with academia and haute cuisine to expand it around the world."

"It is a pleasure to welcome Lavazza to the ecosystem of companies of the Basque Culinary Center, a leading company in the coffee sector with which we share objectives and values. This strategic partnership allows us to unite the world of coffee with gastronomy, working together to disseminate knowledge and support young talent, offering the best training to future professionals in the sector". said Joxe Mari Aizega, general director of the Basque Culinary Center.

In the training process, the Lavazza Training Center in Turin will play a crucial role. Marcello Arcangeli, head of the centre, and the Basque Culinary Center will work together on the coffee-related content that will be taught to the centre's students. To this end, a team of teachers from the Basque Culinary Center will travel to the Lavazza Training Center in Turin to receive prior training to learn about the Lavazza product in depth. 

During the first year, students will learn the basics of coffee; in the second, they will delve into its origins; in the third year, they will become familiar with different preparation methods; and in the fourth and final year, specializations will come into play, such as the figure of the barista, coffeetails or coffee pairings.

According to Marcello Arcangeli, director of the Lavazza Training Center: "We firmly believe in the importance of professional training at all levels from a young age, therein lies the key to offering the best coffee experience to consumers. At the Lavazza Training Center we have been working for more than 30 years, also collaborating with prestigious entities such as the Basque Culinary Center to promote the culture of coffee around the world".

Top Gastronomy philosphy of Lavazza

Lavazza thus continues its commitment to promoting coffee culture at a scientific and specialized level, with the company's constant focus on training, also through increasingly synergistic collaborations with the academic and haute cuisine worlds. 

Its Training Center is the first school dedicated to espresso founded in Italy in 1989. For more than 30 years, this Training Center has been dedicated to experimenting with the flavors and aromas of coffee to create unique recipes. Today, it is present around the world with more than 55 centers. 

Its two main pillars are the "Coffee School", which offers professional training in coffee and coffee brewing systems, and "Coffee Design", which focuses on researching and developing recipes and tools to offer a unique coffee experience. The training programs are specially designed according to the experience level of the participants, from baristas to sales staff and from distributors to coffee lovers.

Over the years, Lavazza's Training Center has collaborated with prestigious entities such as the Politecnico di Torino, an international centre of excellence in its field, with the Università di Scienze Gastronomiche of Pollenzo, created and promoted by the international association SlowFood, and with the foundation of El Bulli, by the famous chef Ferran Adrià. It was Lavazza's 20-year collaboration with Ferran Adrià that gave rise to èspesso, the first solid coffee in history and a series of coffee design products that have transformed the way we enjoy this beverage.

 

About the Lavazza Group

Lavazza, founded in Turin in 1895, has been owned by the Lavazza family for four generations. Today, the Group is one of the major players on the global coffee scene, with a turnover of more than €2.7 billion and a portfolio of leading brands leading their respective markets, such as Lavazza, Carte Noire, Merrild and Kicking Horse.

It is active in all business sectors and operates in 140 markets, with 8 manufacturing plants in 5 countries. The Group's global presence is the result of more than 125 years of growth and the more than 30 billion cups of Lavazza coffee produced each year are testament to a great success story, with the aim of continuing to offer the best possible coffee, in all its forms, focusing on all links in the supply chain,  from the selection of the raw material to the product in the cup.

The Lavazza Group has revolutionized coffee culture by continuously investing in research and development: from the intuition that marked the company's first success, coffee blending, to the development of innovative packaging; From the first espresso drunk in space, to dozens of industrial patents. The ability to be ahead of the times is also reflected in the focus on sustainability – economic, social and environmental – which has always been a benchmark to guide corporate strategies.

"Waking up every morning to a better world" is the social purpose of the Lavazza Group, with the aim of creating sustainable value for shareholders, employees, consumers and the communities in which it operates, combining competitiveness with social and environmental responsibility.