From Honduran Hills to Global Cups: Lavazza and Rainforest Alliance Debut World’s First Certified Regenerative Coffee for Professionals
May 1 - 2026
Coffee Geography Magazine
After more than two decades of collaboration, Lavazza and the Rainforest Alliance are rewriting the blueprint for sustainable coffee.The Italian coffee giant unveiled La Reserva de ¡Tierra! Selection—the first professional-focused coffee blend sourced entirely from farms certified under the Rainforest Alliance Regenerative Agriculture Standard.
The launch, timed for international availability starting June 2026, signals a pivotal shift: regenerative agriculture is moving from pilot projects and sustainability white papers into tangible, verifiable products on café countertops and restaurant menus worldwide.
Founded in Turin in 1895 and owned by the Lavazza family for four generations, the Group is a global coffee leader with €3.9 billion in turnover and a portfolio including Lavazza, Carte Noire, Merrild, and Kicking Horse.
A Partnership Tested by Fire
For over 20 years, Lavazza and the Rainforest Alliance have worked together across 62 countries, tackling soil degradation, biodiversity loss, and climate volatility in some of the world’s most vulnerable coffee landscapes. But the new La Reserva de ¡Tierra! blend represents something different—not just mitigation, but active restoration.
“For regenerative agriculture to deliver real value, it has to work in practice for farmers, for ecosystems, and for the companies that rely on resilient supply chains,” said Luis Iseppe, Senior Director for Corporate Engagement & Partnership at the Rainforest Alliance. “This launch helps show what that can look like when long-term partnership is matched with credible standards, field support, and a commitment to continuous improvement.”
The coffee builds on a rigorous, science-backed framework: the Rainforest Alliance’s Regenerative Agriculture Standard, which provides independently audited pathways for measuring progress across soil health, water stewardship, climate resilience, biodiversity, and farmer livelihoods.
An international non-profit active in 62 countries, the Rainforest Alliance brings together farm communities, companies, governments, and citizens to drive change in critical landscapes and global supply chains.
Ground Truth in Honduras
Long before the blend reached roasters in Turin, the work began in the highlands of Honduras. Through direct technical training, operational support, and on-farm guidance, more than 70 farms in the region have already achieved regenerative certification under the new standard.
Those farms are now supplying beans for La Reserva de ¡Tierra! Selection, demonstrating that a transition to regenerative practices—improved water management, soil regeneration, and canopy diversification—can scale from a handful of early adopters to a credible, consumer-facing market signal.
For farmers, the model promises stronger resilience against climate shocks, restored ecosystem services, and improved long-term productivity. For Lavazza—a fourth-generation, family-owned group reporting €3.9 billion in turnover and brands like Carte Noire and Kicking Horse—the investment is a hedge against supply chain instability in an era of erratic weather and economic strain on producers.
What the Seal Means for Operators and Drinkers
For coffee professionals and consumers, the regenerative seal on La Reserva de ¡Tierra! Selection offers something beyond organic or fair trade: a verified claim that the product comes from supply chains actively restoring landscapes, not just sustaining them.
The Rainforest Alliance sees this as a turning point. “For regenerative agriculture to move beyond broad ambition, it needs credible certification and market pull,” Iseppe added. “Lavazza is providing exactly that pull.”
The new blend will be available in international markets from June 2026, aimed primarily at professional operators—cafés, restaurants, and hospitality groups—looking to back regenerative claims with audited proof.
A Blueprint for the Industry
With the coffee sector navigating overlapping crises—from soil collapse to biodiversity freefall—the Lavazza-Rainforest Alliance model suggests a path forward. It marries long-term corporate commitment (two decades of partnership) with on-the-ground implementation (70+ certified farms in Honduras) and a credible, independently audited standard.
As La Reserva de ¡Tierra! Selection rolls out next summer, the question for the broader industry will no longer be whether regenerative agriculture is possible, but whether other roasters and retailers can follow suit—and how quickly.