The spirit of Lavazza in creative photography

Interpreting reality with creativity and ingenuity is a characteristic that has always brought the spirit of Lavazza together with the art of creative photography, which aims to provide an alternative representation of space and forms. This affinity has allowed us to enjoy a privileged relationship with the realms of photography and the visual arts in general – from painting to graphic design in advertising, via design and architecture.

These contemporary forms of expression represent original points of view and privileged communication channels for our founding values, which have represented our history for over 125 years, and are linked to the innovative spirit and imagination of Luigi Lavazza, inventor of the art of blending. 

This predisposition has pushed us to enrich our journey of collaborations with great interpreters of artistic shots such as Steve McCurry and David LaChapelle, becoming advocates for unique cultural projects such as ¡Tierra!, , which includes some of McCurry’s most striking portraits, and recounts our commitment to coffee-producing communities.

The Lavazza Calendar project is also emblematic of our relationship with great creative photography, with 30 years spent capturing the philosophy and identity of the brand in unique shots: David LaChapelle, Helmut Newton, Annie Leibovitz, Elliott Erwitt, Steve McCurry and Erwin Olaf are just some of the famous names who have created unique Lavazza Calendars since 1993.

The journey through the ¡Tierra! project also contributed to the creation of the photographic book “From These Hands: A Journey Along The Coffee Trail” (published by Phaidon), which contains the most beautiful and evocative images taken by McCurry along the coffee trails. The book by Phaidon also gave rise to an exhibition of the same name - dedicated to the photojournalist, organised by Lavazza, and designed by architect Fabio Novembre - held in 2015 at the National Museum of Science and Technology in Milan and at Le Tese dell'Arsenale in Venice.

This love of artistic photography, acting as a privileged container of social and cultural values in a world saturated with images, has led us to organise events – with photographic masters of the calibre of Martin Parr, Elliot Erwitt and Ellen von Unwerth – and to cultivate young up-and-coming talents in collaboration with Camera, the Italian Centre for Photography, in Turin.

Our natural affinity with the visual arts has led us to become partners of leading international art institutions, and also to contribute to temporary projects, such as collaborations with the Triennale and Mudec museums in Milan, furthering our commitment to the promotion of all aspects of art, reflection and culture, with a global vision and a particular focus on the issues of social and environmental sustainability.