In Naples, a women’s social cooperative has transformed artisanal coffee roasting into a tool for inclusion and autonomy. It is a story that bridges the tradition of Neapolitan coffee with the opportunity to build a future through work.
In Naples, a women’s social cooperative has transformed artisanal coffee roasting into a tool for inclusion and autonomy. It is a story that bridges the tradition of Neapolitan coffee with the opportunity to build a future through work.
This is the story of Lazzarelle, a women’s social cooperative established in 2010 in Pozzuoli, in the province of Naples, with a clear vision: to use work as a tangible tool for inclusion and autonomy for women living in vulnerable circumstances.
The project takes shape within the women’s prison in Pozzuoli, where an artisanal coffee-roasting workshop has been established. Coffee—a symbol of Neapolitan culture and a daily ritual deeply rooted in the local area—thus becomes the starting point for a journey of professional training, personal growth, and social reintegration.
Because work means more than just having a job. It means acquiring skills, regaining confidence in one’s own abilities, and building the conditions for greater economic independence.
Over time, Lazzarelle has extended its commitment to include formerly incarcerated women, victims of violence, migrants, and individuals from particularly vulnerable backgrounds. On its website, the cooperative reports having supported more than 150 women through paths of personal and professional growth.
Its history has also seen difficult times. In 2024, the closure of the women’s prison in Pozzuoli—following events linked to the bradyseism in the Phlegraean Fields—forced the cooperative to rethink some of its activities. Production continued through an external workshop, while the project itself kept evolving, seeking new ways to keep work and inclusion at its core.
Today, Lazzarelle is an enterprise that extends well beyond coffee roasting. Alongside its organic, artisanal coffee, the cooperative operates in restaurant services, social catering, artisanal pastry-making, and cleaning services for hospitality establishments—diverse sectors all united by a commitment to creating tangible opportunities for training and professional integration.
The choice of raw materials also reflects this focus. For its coffee, Lazzarelle partners with Shadhilly, a fair-trade cooperative that supports small-scale producers in the Global South. The processing follows the traditional Neapolitan craft method—with no additives—placing a strong emphasis on product quality and sustainability.
It is precisely this link between quality and social responsibility that makes the Lazzarelle model so compelling. Inclusion is not left solely to awareness-raising initiatives; instead, it takes shape within an enterprise that produces goods, makes sales, provides services, and creates job opportunities.
In a city where coffee is much more than just a beverage, Lazzarelle demonstrates that even an everyday act can help tell the story of a different kind of enterprise—one that manages to bring together tradition, expertise, and a genuine concern for people.
Because behind a good cup of coffee, there can also be an additional opportunity: the chance to learn a trade, gain independence, and look toward the future with new prospects.
