Espresso-Background Infromation
In Italy, the average annual consumption per capita rose from 1.5 kg in the 1950s to 2.5 kg in the 1960s (Morris). Although the popularity of Espresso was increasing in Italy it still remained a national drink and one that was mostly enjoyed at an espresso bar. Around this time Lavazza surfaced as a roaster which means they made the coffee beans for the espresso and different kinds of coffee. Lavazza was founded in the Turin region, which is in the northern part of Italy near France and Switzerland. At this time many Espresso companies existed but were all regional like Lavazza. This changed when the Lavazza company started to expand rapidly using the new technology and distribution channels like television and supermarkets. In 1951 the Turin-based company was selling 1.9m kg. of roasted coffee, over half of which was destined for the surrounding regions of Piedmont and Valle d‟Aosta. The company continued its steady growth and by 1960 this had reached 3.5m kg., while in 1966, following the opening of its new production plant in Italy (the largest in Europe) the company was selling over 10m kg.(Morris).
Although the expansion of this company was big for the Espresso market inside of Italy, exports of roasted coffee averaged less than 1m kg (Morris). This trend would continue into the 1990s, when Italy began exporting 58m kg in 1998, 132.5m kg in 2007(Morris), and to over 171 million kilograms in 2015 (Garcia) as the companies kept the same tactics and growth throughout the years. Italian companies control 70 percent of the global market for commercial espresso machines, routinely exporting over 90 percent of their output. (Garcia). This level of trade lets Espresso make it easy to get espresso around the world.
Today the Espresso industry generates around €1bn in foreign earnings for Italy, €700m in roasted coffee, €200m through machines and €100m in the sale of other coffee related equipment (Morris). Both the coffee roasters and the coffee machine companies play a big part in the expansion of espresso across the world and I will be looking at both in my exhibit.