Italy’s Lavazza Buys Australia’s Blue Pod Coffee
Reuters reports that Lavazza SpA said on 2 July it would buy all of Australia’s Blue Pod Coffee Company, as the coffee maker pushes ahead with a shopping spree that has allowed it to sharply increase its scale.
After buying French brand Carte Noire and Denmark’s Merrild, Turin-based Lavazza last year purchased Canadian organic coffee firm Kicking Horse, France’s ESP and Italian coffee pods and machines company Nims.
However, in March, chief executive Antonio Baravalle said that the group would focus more on organic growth in 2018, after posting 2 billion euros in revenue last year, a 6.3% increase.
According to Reuters, company officials could not be reached for immediate comment on the potential impact of the latest acquisition on revenue or the value of the deal. “The operation is part of the group’s internationalisation strategy and confirms the importance of Australia as a key market,” Lavazza said in a statement.
Founded in 2005, Blue Pod Coffee Company is a privately-owned company headquartered in Mulgrave, Victoria, Australia. Blue Pod Coffee is the sole distributor of Lavazza Blue, Lavazza Espresso Point and Lavazza Espresso Point Maxi coffee capsules in Australia, where Lavazza has operated for 30 years.
