PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Many small businesses in the Philadelphia region and all over the country are in the process of trying to get back on their feet after struggling for so many months because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Lavazza Professional, a coffee maker supplier based out of West Chester, Chester County, wants to do their part to make that journey easier, so they are giving away around 1,000 coffee makers.
"What we want to do is help these small businesses in sort of this unprecedented time of financial operational difficulty," said Lavazza vice president of innovation Bruce Williamson. "Philadelphians are resilient and we want to help Philadelphia small businesses, and the last thing we want anybody to worry about is a cup of coffee."
He said this is the least they can do, because all businesses are in this together.
"We aren't a company that can actually produce hand sanitizer. If we could, we would," he said. "We're not a company that can produce face masks. But we are a company that produces something people need and enjoy and it helps them rev up their day and I'd say start up their business back on track."
He said all businesses that have already received their coffee makers are very grateful.
"When you get up in the morning, phase into that hardship of starting that business back up again that you're sort of diving into and it's not just for a few weeks, we're bringing people coffee for a few months so they have what they need," he said.
Lavazza recently launched a new machine that allows you to get a cup of coffee — or other hot or cold drinks — with an app on your phone.
