Lavazza, Francesca and Martin Scorsese Present "Family Blend": A Mini-Series Celebrating the Magic of Coffee

TURIN, Italy & NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 20, 2026--

Lavazza brings the magic of cinema to the daily coffee ritual with the announcement of " Family Blend." Directed by emerging filmmaker and actress Francesca Scorsese, this new five-episode mini-series of short-form content (2-3 minutes each) will be released monthly on the brand's and talents' global channels. The series stars acclaimed by Academy Award ® -winning director Martin Scorsese alongside his daughter. The result is an intimate yet internationally resonant narrative, elevated by performances from Hollywood star Jason Biggs.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260720702335/en/

Set against the backdrop of New York’s most iconic streets and locations - places that shaped Martin’s life and creative journey - the series explores the deep bond, shared memories, and passing of the torch between two artistic visions. This creative dialogue comes to life between father and daughter over a cup of coffee.

With a warm and authentic tone that blends seamlessly into the talents' natural conversations, "Family Blend" brings Lavazza’s communication platform "Pleasure Makes Us Human" to life through genuine storytelling, where coffee is celebrated as the ultimate daily ritual capable of connecting different stories and sparking creativity.

In "Family Blend," the concept of " blend " transcends its technical meaning to become an existential and artistic metaphor. On one hand, it embodies Lavazza’s mastery in selecting and combining different origins to create a unique, consistent, yet constantly innovative taste. On the other, it celebrates the creative encounter between Martin Scorsese’s legendary cinema perspective and the contemporary sensibility of his daughter Francesca, a culturally relevant creative voice.

The series merges documentary-style realism with cinematic comedy, capturing the spontaneous chemistry between Francesca and Martin across five unmissable episodes.

"The 'Family Blend' series shows how coffee acts as a universal bridge, bringing together different stories and creative visions," says Carlo Colpo, Chief Marketing Officer of the Lavazza Group. " With this project, we are thrilled to portray coffee as a cultural gesture that spans generations and languages, serving as a meeting point for creativity and identity. The collaboration with Martin and Francesca Scorsese brings to life a unique dialogue that blends the depth of cinematic language with modern digital formats. Through this mini-series, we strengthen our brand’s global relevance while continuing to explore creative territories that engage and inspire new generations."

The project was brought to life in collaboration with Romilda De Luca of RDL Worldwide/Publicis Group, and Lisa Frechette of Sikelia Productions. The series was produced by Propagate Content, with Ben Silverman, Howard T. Owens, and Drew Buckley producing on behalf of the company. Creative was developed with Maruri Group and supported by Joey Payne.

THE FIVE EPISODES OF "FAMILY BLEND"

1. BUT FIRST… COFFEE (July 2026)
Location: Martin Scorsese NYU Virtual Production Center, Brooklyn
Synopsis: Before it all begins… coffee. Father and daughter prepare for an interview on a set that blurs the line between documentary and behind-the-scenes. The coffee ritual is the essential starting point to kick off their conversation.

2. ELIZABETH STREET (August 2026)
Location: Elizabeth Street, Little Italy
Synopsis: A nostalgic journey down the street where Martin grew up with his parents. Amid youth memories and the relentless chaos of New York constantly interrupting their talk, takeaway coffee (served in Lavazza’s iconic blue paper cups) becomes the emotional and humorous thread of this walk down memory lane.

3. BACK TO TISCH (September 2026)
Location: Martin Scorsese NYU Virtual Production Center, Brooklyn
Synopsis: After a sip of coffee, Francesca and Martin are catapulted to their alma mater, NYU, in the 1960s. Set against a high-tech LED wall, amid period costumes and funny conversations about young Martin's look, the episode plays on generational contrasts. The technological star of this time-travel journey is Lavazza Tablì, the innovative zero-impact system.

4. WHERE EVERYBODY KNOWS YOUR NAME (October 2026)
Location: Di Palo’s Fine Foods, Little Italy
Synopsis: Francesca guides us inside the historic Di Palo’s shop, which has been offering Italian gastronomic excellence to New York for over a century. While waiting for Martin—who is, as always, running late—Francesca introduces this cherished landmark that her father used to visit as a child, celebrating the unbreakable bond between food, heritage, and family.

5. BUT LAST… COFFEE (November 2026)
Location: C. Di Palo, Little Italy
Synopsis: The grand finale unfolds in the cozy atmosphere of an iconic New York cafe, where Francesca challenges her father to break his strict "black coffee" routine and try new blends and modern preparations. Between Martin’s playful horror at modern trends and the warmth of family connection - all energized by the brilliant comedy of Jason Briggs - coffee proves to be the symbol of an identity that evolves without ever losing its roots.

The first episode of the mini-series will air on July 22 nd, preceded by a trailer releasing on July 16 th on Lavazza’s proprietary digital channels (websites, newsletters, and other digital properties, e.g., YouTube, Amazon Brand Store, etc.) and on the following platforms:

INSTAGRAM:

TIK TOK:

YOUTUBE:

About Lavazza Group

Lavazza, founded in Turin in 1895, has been owned by the Lavazza family for four generations. Today the Group is one of the leading players on the global coffee scene, with turnover of over € 3.9 billion and a portfolio of top brands that lead their respective markets, such as Lavazza, Carte Noire, Merrild and Kicking Horse.

It is active in all business sectors and has operations in 140 markets, with 9 manufacturing plants in 5 countries. The Group’s global presence is the result of over 130 years of growth and the more than 30 billion cups of Lavazza coffee produced every year are a testament to a remarkable success story, with the goal of continuing to offer the best coffee possible, in all forms, by focusing on every aspect of the supply chain, from the selection of the raw material to the product in the cup.

Lavazza Group has revolutionized coffee culture by investing continuously in research and development: from the intuition that marked the company’s earliest success - the coffee blend - to the development of innovative packaging solutions; from the first espresso sipped in Space to the dozens of industrial patents. The ability to be ahead of time is also reflected in the attention of economic, social and environmental issues - which have always been a benchmark for guiding corporate strategies.

“Awakening a better world every morning” is the corporate purpose of Lavazza Group, with the aim of creating value for shareholders, collaborators, consumers and the communities in which it operates, combining competitiveness with social and environmental responsibility.

Martin and Francesca Scorsese for Lavazza's 'Family Blend' Series.

TOKYO (AP) — Japan expressed concern after a Chinese navy destroyer conducted live-fire drills off a remote Japanese island in the Pacific Ocean on Sunday during its joint exercise with Russia, officials said Tuesday.

The Chinese Luyang III-class guided-missile destroyer conducted a live-fire exercise off Japan's southernmost island of Okinotori, hours after the Japanese navy spotted it operating alongside two other Chinese warships and a Russian frigate, the Japanese Joint Staff said.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told reporters Tuesday that his government conveyed concerns that the live-fire drills posed a potential safety threat to nearby vessels. He noted that ships near the area received a notice from the Chinese warships just before the drills started.

“We will continue to watch China-Russia operations around Japan with concern, while doing utmost for the warning and surveillance of the Japanese airspace and territorial waters,” Kihara said.

Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, in a speech Monday in Britain, said the action underscored “the deepening military cooperation between China and Russia,” as he also noted China’s ballistic missile launch from a submarine earlier this month, and at least 10 joint flights conducted by Chinese and Russian bombers around Japan.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian accused Japan of playing up external threats to justify its military buildup. “Japan’s so-called concern is actually groundless, and China has firmly refuted it,” he said at a regular briefing in Beijing.

Japan has been alarmed by China’s rapid expansion of operations in the Pacific, especially since two Chinese aircraft carriers were spotted last year almost simultaneously operating near another southern Japanese island, Iwo Jima, for the first time, fueling Tokyo’s concern about Beijing’s military activity far beyond its borders.

Japan is also deeply concerned about growing joint military operations by China and Russia around Japan in recent years.

Sunday's live-fire drills by the Chinese destroyer were conducted 180 kilometers (110 miles) southwest of the island and within Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone, an area beyond its immediate territorial waters where the country has rights over natural resources.

Lin disputed Japan’s claim to an EEZ around Okinotori, saying it is a rock not an island. “Japan’s claim to an EEZ based on Okinotori-shima violates international law,” he said. The word “shima” means island in Japanese.

China has said previously that it wrapped up joint naval exercises with Russia on July 13 and that some of the participating ships were conducting joint patrols in the Pacific. It wasn’t clear why patrols would include live firing, as claimed by Japan.

The live-fire exercises were held off the port city of Qingdao on China’s east coast, the country's official Xinhua News Agency said. The area is far from the uninhabited Okinotori, which sits in the Philippine Sea.

China-Russia military cooperation plays an important role in safeguarding the two nations’ sovereignty and security and upholding international and regional peace and stability, China's Defense Ministry spokesperson Jiang Bin said in remarks posted online late last week.

“We hope that relevant parties can view China-Russia military cooperation objectively and rationally, and stop making groundless speculation and cease smearing and hyping,” he said.

Japan's Joint Staff said it was the first time it disclosed the detection of Chinese live-fire drills in the Japanese EEZ, though the action did not violate international law.

The Joint Staff said the fleet of the same four Chinese and Russian warships had earlier sailed southward between the main Japanese islands of Okinawa and Miyako.

Associated Press writer Ken Moritsugu in Beijing contributed to this report.

FILE -Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara speaks during a press conference in Tokyo Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (Keisuke Hosojima/Kyodo News via AP, File)

In this photo provided by Japan Joint Staff, a Chinese Luyang III-class guided-missile destroyer sails off Kumejima island, southern Japan, on July 16, 2026. (Japan Joint Staff via AP)