Italian coffee brand Lavazza has struck a deal with Sainsbury’s and Waitrose to introduce Cuban coffee to the UK, following a 61-year-long US embargo.

Available under the Tierra label, Cuban coffee will be brought to the UK market for the first time since US economic sanctions were introduced in 1962, reports This Money.

Cuban coffee, which gained a world-class reputation among coffee aficionados before the embargo, now produces just 8,000 tons a year, down from its peak of 50,000 during the 1950s.

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With US sanctions still existing in America, Lavazza’s foundation – which works in 20 countries on three continents to improve coffee crop yields – initiated a partnership with Oxfam in Cuba in 2018 but now works directly with the Cuban government.

Lavazza Foundation senior sustainability manager Veronica Rossi said: “The project is about creating the environment for Cuban coffee to be sold”.

“‘This is the first time we’ve partnered with a government and turned it into a joint venture,’ added Rossi. ‘It’s a very good experiment for us.’