FRANK LARUSSO
Frank began his 35-year career with Lavazza & Mars within the M&M/MARS snack food group, where he navigated various roles in sales and marketing. Transitioning from the snack food industry, Frank spearheaded the project team tasked with analyzing the U.S. coffee market, leading to the launch of the FLAVIA® Beverage Systems business unit (later renamed Lavazza Professional) in 1995. He played a pivotal role in establishing FLAVIA® Beverage Systems and the FLAVIA® brand in North America. Subsequently, MARS Drinks underwent a name change and was acquired by Lavazza in December 2018.
Frank, equipped with an extensive marketing and management background, holds a BSBA from Boston University, an MBA from Drexel University, and an MDC from Cornell University in Management Development. His responsibilities extended to the Lavazza Partnership with the SHFM (Society for Hospitality and Foodservice Management) as an Industry Advisory Board Member. Actively engaged in the coffee industry, Frank is a member of the National Coffee Association and the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA). He served as a delegate for the 2021 RE:CO conference, volunteered for the 2022 RE:CO and 2022- 2024 SCA Expos, delivered a lecture at the SCA Expo in 2023 on replicating the “Café Experience”, sponsored the 2024 National and 2025 Regional “Coffee in Good Spirits” competition with the USCC, and was a finals judge in the 2025 SCA Canadian Latte Art National Competition.
Frank is also an adjunct professor of Corporate Social Responsibility at Drexel University, and adjunct professor on faculty for “the Business of Coffee” class at Florida International (FIU) Chaplin Hospitality School, and in Fall 2022, taught at the Purdue University Marriott Hospitality School on the Business of Coffee. In 2022, Frank became a Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) Authorized Specialty Coffee Trainer (AST). Only 128 Individuals in North America have received the Specialty Coffee Association Authorized Specialty Coffee Training (AST) certification- the highest level of certification in coffee training in the world. In January 2025, Frank received the Specialty Coffee Association Sustainable Coffee Diploma- only 25 of these have been issued globally.