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How a 150-year-old Cuban coffee family is innovating and remaining highly competitive in an oversaturated coffee market Coffee traditionalists F. Gaviña & Sons, Inc. turned innovators
“My grandfather used dip my pacifier in coffee and say: “If you are going to live from this, you are going to have to learn to drink it” and I’ve never looked back,” — Lisette Gaviña Lopez, 4th generation Cuban-American coffee roaster and Executive Marketing Director, F. Gaviña & Sons, Inc.
For over 150 years, the Gaviña family has solely been dedicated to the perfection of coffee — both in retail and wholesale. But to get that quality taste that holds such an allure for cafe aficionados and Fortune 500 companies, perfectly roasted, high quality beans are needed. CUBAN COFFEE DYNASTY Second generation Francisco Gaviña was born in Cuba and with his wife Anatolia, they raised their 4 children there, teaching them about coffee. They left Cuba during the revolution and moved to Los Angeles in the early 1960’s. Prior to restarting the business in 1967, the Gaviña family had been in the coffee industry in Cuba for almost 100 years. From their very beginnings in Los Angeles, the Gaviña family created coffee blends and roasts that were familiar to them: dark roasted and intensely aromatic espresso, Gaviña coffee was first made for Cuban immigrants living in exile in Los Angeles. As their reputation for roasting coffee grew across the city, it attracted the tastebuds of the Middle Eastern, Vietnamese and other immigrant communities who also had an affinity for strong dark roast coffee. From there, the Gaviña Family learned the taste preferences and preparations of American coffee consumers, and had a strong desire to sell their coffee in the grocery store. This led to the development of their flagship brand Don Francisco’s Coffee, named in their father’s honor, delivering that rich, bold, smooth taste that the family and the American market love. The current generations today (the third and fourth) are known as F. Gaviña & Sons, Inc., one of the largest family-owned coffee companies in America and the nation’s largest privately held, minority-owned roaster. They oversee the Gaviña Gourmet Coffee wholesale/food
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service brand and Don Francisco’s Coffee and Cafe La Llave retail brands. They have over 100 different blends and special roasts, from single origin to flavored coffees — to meet the needs of a diverse wholesale and retail market place. HERITAGE & LATINIDAD The Gaviña family’s Cafe La Llave brand pays homage to their Cuban culture, adhering to the Latin-style espresso aroma and flavor that many generations grew up on. It was born out of necessity, made for their Cuban community, tostado especialmente para el gusto latino. “The cafecito drinking experience crosses generations and continues to be an essential part of our Latin tradition, which is also why it is important to us to offer more modern ways to make espresso for those generations who want quicker, easier ways to make their coffee, but still want the bold dark-roast taste that is so ingrained in the culture. In multigenerational homes, abuela makes coffee in “la greca stove top” and younger generations may choose the espresso or k-cup-style capsules,” says Gaviña Lopez. She continues: “We are also uniquely positioned with Hispanic consumers because we are a Hispanic owned company, so we have a deep understanding of these consumer wants and needs,” she says. INNOVATION Despite a long heritage in coffee, Gaviña recognizes the importance of innovating while respecting tradition. Considering the tremendous growth in espresso at home and espresso products and machines, F. Gaviña & Sons, Inc. wants to make accessibility a key part of their offerings. To that end, they have quite literally encapsulated their traditional espresso blends into espresso capsules, and launched new innovative coffee products. Don Francisco’s Coffee espresso capsules, coffee pods, and organic cold brew are some of the newest innovations. “So even product innovations for our flagship brand Don Francisco’s Coffee have a hint of our culture,” says Gaviña Lopez. And in addition to maintaining a hint of Cuban culture, they are also keeping up with modern culture. Cue flavored coffees like the new Pumpkin Spice and Blueberry blends as a part of their seasonal offerings.
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