The Definitive(ly) Good Guide to Restaurants in Malta & Gozo: A 25-Year Journey
May 25, 2025The Skill of Serving Wine
May 25, 2025
Jo Muscat learns all about the journey
leading to Lavazza’s cups of excellence.
Someone, somewhere, right now, is having a
Lavazza coffee. If they are lucky, it will be an
authentic Italian espresso that has been expertly
brewed by a Lavazza-trained barista in one of the 57
Lavazza Training Centres worldwide. Established in Turin
in 1989 “to share the art of espresso-making with industry
professionals and coffee enthusiasts”, this coffee school is
now the largest international training network in this field,
training 32,000 people last year alone.
Now, P. Cutajar & Co. Ltd, - who have recently officially
inaugurated a newly-refurbished Lavazza Training
Centre in San Gwann - this number will include baristas,
restaurant staff and coffee enthusiasts in Malta. These
will all be trained under the guidance of Robert Duša, in-
house barista trainer.
The event saw two very special guests from Lavazza
Italy, Riccardo Codognola and Lordana Bertinetti, share
insights about the innovative training programs and
unique experiences that the Lavazza Training Centre will
be offering to coffee enthusiasts and professionals alike.
P. Cutajar & Co. Ltd’s connection with the Lavazza brand
goes back 38 years when Lavazza coffee was added
to the company’s distribution portfolio. The company
estimates that at least 20 million cups of Lavazza coffee
were sold in Malta last year, 7 million of which were served
in bars, restaurants and hotels.
From Left: Christian Caruana (Manger- Coffee and Non-Food Division), Riccardo Codognola (Regional Sales Manager Mediterranean Region), Loredana Bertinetti (Country Sales Manager) and Matthew Cuomo (CCO)
During the inauguration event guests learned how the
Lavazza coffee we enjoy today is the result of decades of
research that have gone into the mixing of coffee beans
of different origins, to obtain blends that satisfy changing
tastes. It was Luigi Lavazza who first invented the
concept of the blend.
He opened his first artisanal coffee
roastery in 1895 in Turin and started creating blends for
consumption, thus revolutionising the history of coffee.
The Lavazza brand has since become recognised in the
world as a symbol of Italian coffee, known not only for its
passion for quality, but also for its constant innovation.
For Lavazza drinkers, coffee is more than a beverage; it's
an immersive cultural experience.
The training centre in Turin sets the standards that
all other centres worldwide are bound to uphold. That
includes the Lavazza Training Centre in Malta, which will
serve as a learning hub for both aspiring baristas who
wish to add the art and skill of making a good coffee to
their resume and experienced baristas looking to enhance
their craftsmanship and deepen their knowledge of
coffee.
In the near future, the centre will also be open to
coffee enthusiasts who wish to learn how to prepare an
authentic Italian coffee at home, how to care for their
coffee machine and, not least, how to wow their guests
with their coffee art.
The training centres also serve as creative hubs for
innovative taste combinations and flavours. Since 2020,
the Lavazza team has also been looking at new ways to
integrate coffee in food, coming up with such delicacies as
coffee popcorn, salted coffee crumble, coffee puff pastry
and coffee meringues … the combinations of food and
flavours are endless!
The Lavazza Training Centre offers
an opportunity to all who want to immerse themselves
into the world of coffee to learn and unleash their own
creativity, guided by Lavazza experts.
In 1861, Paul Cutajar established a trading business from his residence at 20 Strada Reale in Valletta, focusing on the importation of wheat and cereals. He also played an active role in the coal trade, acquiring a small steamer, Nave Elena, to support his operations. As the business flourished, he rebranded the firm as P. Cutajar & Co. in 1865. The company expanded rapidly, securing key distributorship agreements, including Martini & Rossi (1880) and Benedictine (1886)—both of which remain integral to the firm’s portfolio today.
W: https://pcutajar.com.mt/ | E: info@pcutajar.com.mt | Tel: +356 356 2144 8466
Click here to see Horeca Issue 19 online