In 1895, a man named Luigi Lavazza purchased a little grocery store in northern Italy for about US$20. Today, over one hundred years later, Luigi Lavazza S.p.A is the irrefutable leader of the espresso market in Italy, boasting nearly 45 percent of the total coffee market share. The company owes its success to its dynamic approach to business and careful attention to its customers' needs.

In Lavazza's store, coffee was sold raw and then roasted according to each customer's personal preference. Luigi Lavazza was considerably skilled at carefully selecting the amount of each ingredient required for one particular blend as well as expertly determining the degree of roasting. Over the next sixty years, the company experienced rapid commercial growth with its foray into the wholesale market and its decision to narrow down its range of products. By the mid forties, the company, now Luigi Lavazza S.p.A, began specializing in the production of coffee.

The firm continued expanding by leaps and bounds, and introduced the first vacuum-packed coffee with a long shelf life in the sixties. Distribution soon covered all of Italy, and the next two decades saw the conquering of both European and world markets. With its devotion to developing clever new techniques and products, Luigi Lavazza S.p.A shows no signs of slowing down, and will likely be giving other coffee companies a run for their money for a while yet.

1895年，一位名叫路吉·拉法札的男子花二十美元买下意大利北部一家小杂货店。一百年后的今天，路吉·拉法札连锁事业无疑已是意大利浓缩咖啡市场的领导品牌，占有约45%的市场。公司将其成就归功于机动灵活的行销策略及对顾客需求的关照。

拉法札店里销售的是生咖啡，而依顾客的个人喜好再事烘培。拉法札在此方面技巧十分娴熟，对任一种特殊配制，原料的质与量均是精挑细选，烘培的程度亦经审慎的专业判断。随后的六十年中，该公司以突袭批发市场决定缩减产品经营范围的办法，取得了商业的迅速发展。在四十年代中期，现名拉法札连锁事业的公司开始专门生产咖啡。

该公司持续飞速的发展并在六十年代首创真空包装，延长了咖啡保质期。销售随即遍及全意大利，之后二十年陆续征服了欧洲及全球市场。拉法札连锁事业不断致力发展巧妙先进的技术及商品，从未表示要放慢速度，足以和任何其它咖啡公司作一番短暂的较量。