Italian coffee maker Lavazza is determined to stay independent, one of its family owners said on Thursday, revealing the firm had rejected bid approaches from the industry's top players, JAB Holding and Nestlé, in recent years.
The 123-year-old company, founded by Luigi Lavazza in the northern Italian city of Turin, is a mid-tier coffee producer and distributor which, according to some industry analysts, risks being left behind or swallowed up by bigger rivals.
Lavazza has bought five coffee companies in Europe and Canada in the last three years, sharply increasing its scale, but last month said it planned to focus on organic growth.
