TURIN — “Wait, what? You offered him a coffee and didn’t tell me? Will he have another one with me?”

We are in Turin’s Aurora neighborhood, halfway between the multicultural Porta Palazzo market, the occupied Luigi Einaudi University campus, the former Askatasuna building and the city’s so-called “social mile” — home to the Cottolengo Institution and the Sermig community — which is being considered for UNESCO World Heritage status.

Francesca Lavazza is getting ready to leave for New York, where the company’s 2027 calendar will be unveiled. The walls are lined with posters from the 34 previous editions.

How does a calendar come together?

“The first meeting takes place two days after the previous calendar is unveiled. We get together to figure out which emerging trend we should tap into.”

What is this year’s trend?

“The idea is to rediscover simple pleasures as a way to disconnect from an increasingly complicated world.”

The first calendar came out in 1993, featuring women photographed by Helmut Newton.

“When my brother first pitched him the idea, he replied: ‘For me, coffee is sensuality and mystery. So, a woman.’ While in Italy we had the commercials featuring Nino Manfredi and Natalina, which played on images of family life, internationally we were launching a bold new campaign: coffee and sugar on women’s bodies.”

Would that still be possible today?

“Thankfully, we did it back then. Today there would be more cultural barriers.”

Do you say that nostalgically?

“No, because I share today’s emphasis on the value of the body in its own right, free of stereotypes. Advertising doesn’t always have to provoke or shock. It can also make people think in a more intimate way.”

Have your calendars featuring women ever landed you in trouble?

“We have always given photographers creative freedom. In 2002, David LaChapelle photographed voluptuous women on the streets of Los Angeles. The French press called it ‘porno-chic.’”

Do you stay in touch with the photographers?

“Of course, although they move on, too. LaChapelle left Los Angeles for a spiritual community in Hawaii.”

Does Made in Italy still carry weight?

“Our latest U.S. brand ambassador is a little robot in love with all things Italian. It travels around offices handing out coffee. It drives a Fiat 500 and dives off the Faraglioni rock formations. For now, it’s a prototype. The idea is to keep it from being confined to the virtual world.”

Why is it called Luigi?

“At first, we were thinking of a name connected to innovation. Then we went back to our roots. It was a 2.0 tribute to my great-grandfather, the founder of Lavazza — a chemist who was obsessed with coffee.”

Innovation? Isn’t tradition enough when it comes to coffee?

“My grandmother used to talk about ‘nail professionals’ — people who knew how to do one thing and do it well — but research never stops.”

How many varieties of coffee do you work with?

“More than 70. And the number will grow with the 1895 project on micro-lots in Settimo Torinese. Fermented, washed, barrel-aged: Coffee has reached a level of sophistication comparable to wine.”

Do you have specialists like wine experts, too?

“Yes, coffeliers — somewhere between tasters and sommeliers. Preparing coffee involves extremely precise parameters, from roasting to grind size.”

Did you study chemistry, like your great-grandfather Luigi?

“No, I studied communication science. Pure creativity.”

What is it like going from semiotics to grind size?

“A philosophical experience. In Ethiopia, where coffee grows wild in its native forests, serving it is a family ritual governed by strict rules. And in Italy, ‘Can I offer you a coffee?’ is a way of opening a conversation.”

In fact, that was the first thing you asked me.

“And the answer is where you begin to get to know someone. Ristretto, hot, iced, in a small or large cup, milk on the side, soy, oat, decaf, foamed, macchiato or even a macchiatone — tell me how you take your coffee, and I’ll tell you who you are.”

Is the world running out of coffee?

“Demand is growing, while climate change is shrinking the areas where coffee can be grown. High temperatures, frequent flooding and sudden frosts are putting a large share of coffee crops at risk.”

What can be done?

“Make plants more resilient and move plantations to more protected areas. And then we need to change consumption habits.”

In what way?

“By expanding the alternatives: cold products and different preservation methods. We are leading several projects to protect the entire supply chain, starting with local communities.”

Are international crises creating problems?

“Huge ones, from tariffs to the Strait of Hormuz. Raw-material costs have risen by 300 percent, and deliveries have been delayed by weeks. We have to be alert, prepared and flexible.”

Does the perfect coffee exist?

“The perfect cup does. And it isn’t necessarily the most expensive coffee, or the rarest or most complicated to produce. Everyone has their own.”

What is yours?

“On weekdays, it’s the 10:30 a.m. coffee, the one that sets the tone for the day. But on weekends, I make time for coffee from a moka pot.”

What was the first coffee of your life?

“When I was a little girl, my father would make me a little ball of sugar with a drop of coffee every morning. Whenever I think about it, I’m transported back to childhood.”

Have you ever had coffee with Jannik Sinner, your brand ambassador?

“Many times. I remember the first one, after lunch at our bistro, where we served him a pizza shaped like a tennis racket. He was 17: serious, polite and spontaneous. Just as he is today, only shyer. When he was laughing with the Carota Boys, he seemed like a kid again.”

How did it feel to watch him win Wimbledon?

“Incredible. When we first became a sponsor, people drank only hot tea there. We hired 140 young British staff members and taught them how to make espresso. In the first year, all we served were large cappuccinos. Today, Wimbledon has top-tier baristas creating coffee cocktails.”

Coffee used to be considered a form of doping.

“Now tennis players have embraced it as an energy booster.”

You have been President of the Castello di Rivoli Museum for five years. Why organize an exhibition devoted to Marisa Merz across three venues?

“She was the only woman associated with the Arte Povera movement, and yet she maintained complete independence. The idea came from her daughter, Beatrice. It is a model of collaboration between the Merz Foundation and GAM that should set an example.”

What do you mean?

“Contemporary Art Week was a success, both for the fairs and the exhibitions. We have excellent directors and an atmosphere we must preserve. We need to invest in creating a permanent shared platform that can tell the world about Turin’s cultural vocation.”

What role will the Castello play?

“It is an institution with an excellent international reputation, a unique collection and a strong capacity for experimentation. Beyond exhibitions, I would like it to become a place people can enjoy every day, with music, meetings, public-art projects and even yoga classes — like Tate Modern in London.”

Will Slow Food and the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo survive without Carlo Petrini?

“He was a friend, a mentor and a guide. He brought together vision and practicality. His influence can be seen in our calendars, too, inspiring a more people-centered outlook. We have a responsibility to preserve and carry forward his open-minded, ethical and deeply human philosophy.”

You are a family-owned multinational. You could be based anywhere in the world.

“Aurora is a beautiful name. We have chosen to be part of the heart of contemporary life, with all its contradictions: multicultural classrooms and the Holden School, abandoned factories and the studio of artist Giuseppe Penone. We work with local associations, and we are planning an expansion overlooking the Dora River.”

Is it difficult to persuade foreign executives to move here?

“Not at all. We have 900 people working here, with an average age of 40. Turin is attractive because of its quality of life and the depth of personal relationships.”

What does Turin mean to you?

“Our roots. And our future.”