40 HANDS: LAVAZZA STORIES WORTH SHARING

Behind every flavourful cup of coffee, there is a unique exchange that starts it all. An exciting story worth sharing with others.

From when it is scattered into the soil to when it is poured into the cup, a coffee bean embarks on a wondrous journey. It travels long distances: over deserts, seas and across latitudes.

Some even say it passes through forty pairs of hands before arriving in yours.

This is where Lavazza’s 40 Hands story comes into play.

40 Hands tells the story of a group of pioneers united by their unwavering passion for coffee farming, offering you a chance to explore the world of coffee through our people’s stories.

Thanks to this initiative, you can learn more about the land where coffee is grown and about the families who cultivate it.

Below is a glimpse into a few of our favourite stories: 

Asnakech Thomas Biene is a coffee grower from Ethiopia.

For Asnakech, much like many Ethiopians, coffee is synonymous with happiness.

Known as Green gold, coffee is deeply rooted in the country’s traditions, and it is a source of sustenance for many of its inhabitants. It is often referred to as the backbone of Ethiopia.

Asnakech has chosen to work with several associations and companies, including Lavazza, to support coffee farmers, educate them and pass on her passion for coffee. She believes that everyone in Africa should have access to this healthy and unique beverage that brings people closer together and recharges their energy.

Somboun Saj Boukea is a coffee farmer from the village of Katuan, Laos.

To Somboun, clean air means good productivity and a greener Earth.

Every day, Somboun works to keep the Earth alive and healthy. He believes that working sustainably is the best way to enrich the soil and produce the highest quality coffee.

He is currently partnering with Olam and Lavazza to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the Paksong region and improve the practices of coffee cultivation and processing across Laos.

He belongs to an agricultural community where coffee farming represents 90% of their activities. Somboun’s community have been coffee producers since the 1920s and, as a result of their extensive experience and expertise, the coffee beans grown in his region are highly valued and much sought after.

Anayibe Pineda Treviño is 14 years old. She currently attends the Eurocapiones La Señora del Carmen School. Her family and community have been working as coffee growers for generations. Her grandmother Carmen, who still works the land and grows coffee, is her role model.

To Anayibe and her family, sustainably grown coffee means more life.

In addition to pursuing an education, Anayibe is learning the secrets behind the beans alongside her grandmother. She often completes her schoolwork in the fields while helping her grandmother work on their land, harvesting and drying coffee.

Anayibe plans to carry on her family’s legacy by learning how to grow coffee in a sustainable manner all the while respecting her community’s harvesting traditions and knowledge.

For these pioneers, who have dedicated their lives to this calling, coffee farming is a craft upheld with respect, dedication, and responsibility, especially towards nature.

At Lavazza, our duty is to support these pioneers, or better still - defenders of the earth, in any way that we can. Our goal is to create a space for new coffee generations to fully express their skills and traditions.

As it has for many years, Lavazza plans to continue contributing to the development of new and existing coffee growing villages, starting from the countries of origin of its many blends.

The Lavazza Foundation has made a commitment to help find solutions to the world’s coffee cultivation problems. By providing the equipment and knowledge needed to advocate sustainability and by implementing community support projects, we look to improve farmers’ production process, all the while respecting their history, traditions and values, just as we have done with Anayibe, Somboun and Asnakech.