Made in italy. Lavazza challenges Starbucks starting from UK

Lavazza plans to open 400 sites over the next 10 years, challenging Starbucks.

The historic Italian coffee company is starting its offensive strategy from UK.

Following the launch of its original Lavazza Espression café at Harrods in 2010, last November Lavazza opened two stylish " Caffe Bars" in UK, one at Trafford centre in Manchester and another, which is 320 square meter large and can accomodate up to 96 people, in Newbury Park.

Lavazza teams up with Catalyst Retail to roll out its Lavazza Espression café concept across the UK.

Catalyst Retail has secured commitment for 50 new potential sites over the next three years, and, according to the British magazine Coffe Culture, is trying to attract interested franchisees to be part of the planned expansion of Lavazza.

Further sites are to open in Derby, Leeds and London, starting from February. If the project succeds, Lavazza is supposed to become one of the main coffe chains of the British market.

The expansion in UK will follow the experience made in  the several Espression Café sites spread all round the world like in USA, Bulgaria, India, China, Lebanon, Romania, Russia, Armenia, and Spain.

Lavazza's tradition started over 100 years ago in Turin, but the new menu features creations invented in partnership with chef Ferran Adrià, the founder of restaurant EL BULLI, famous for its experimental recipes.

It is from this extravagant chef and his molecular gastronomy  that some inventions  in the Lavazza blends derive. Special flavours that can be tasted, for instance, in the iced espresso served  with milk foam to be eaten with a spoon.

Moreover, the jelly espresso is expected to be the new Lavazza invention, a jelly coffe that can be eaten like an oyster or a coffe cup that can be eaten after one or more drinks.

Lavazza's strategy consists of challenging old and new contenders by getting  into the unexplored lands of coffee.

In its revolutionary menu and with regard to the "unexplored" Lavazza also focuses, in his attempt to become one of the leading coffe brands in UK, on healthy alternatives, with fruit and typical Italian cold dishes. The Anglo-Saxons are alerted: the "Made in Italy"  is  spreading.