Giuseppe Lavazza, vice president, Lavazza Group: “The need to construct alliances in the precompetitive sphere to develop knowledge, planning and content is clear.”
Italian coffee major Lavazza and Slow Food launched a “coffee coalition” that hopes to unite all of the stakeholders in the coffee supply chain – from growers to roasters to distributors to consumers. Slow Food has been working with Lavazza since the mid-1990s sharing ideas and projects. They describe the Slow Food Coffee Coalition as an open network based on a model for relationships inspired by the values of cooperation and based on the evolution of paradigms of production and consumption.
The coalition launched in Turino, Italy on World Earth Day. Its aim is to improve the relationship between farmers and consumers by promoting a better understanding of coffee and its identity among those who buy it on a daily basis.
“This coalition is a response to the crisis that we are living through and which loudly demands change,” said Carlo Petrini, president, Slow Food in a statement. “It is a concrete example of transition and as such it requires the conscious involvement of everyone, from those who care for coffee plants to those who savor it in the cup. We need to shift from a society based on competition to one based on collaboration. That is the aim of the coalition. For real change to take place, it is necessary to create awareness and generate shared knowledge within the coffee community.”
“In founding the Slow Food Coffee Coalition there is an assumption of responsibility and a sharing of rights and duties,” said Giuseppe Lavazza, vice president, Lavazza Group. “All the actors in the world of coffee will be called upon to take part in this challenging and innovative model. It will be an open working group, whose importance will become increasingly evident. The need to construct alliances in the precompetitive sphere to develop knowledge, planning and content is clear.”
“We are at a moment when the desire to create links and to cooperate to reach new goals is stronger than ever,” said Emanuele Dughera, coordinator, The Slow Food Coffee Coalition. “Only through open and collaborative dialog can we change the system and improve the coffee production chain, increasing awareness of those who produce it, distribute it, and those who consume it.”
The Slow Food Coffee Coalition invites participants in the supply and distribution chain to sign up to its manifesto.