My Derthona Basket: Andrea Lattuada tells his story
A passion for basketball that blossomed since I was a boy, ever since ʺAt the age of six I started attending minibasketball courses in Tortona, where I remained until I was fifteen. I then spent four years in Alessandria – says Andrea Lattuada – prima di return to Derthona Basket, where I played in Serie D coached by Caenazzo and in C2 under the guidance of Armana, with whom we achieved promotion to C1. After the Serravalle experience I played again in Tortona in C1 with Iellini, subsequently in Alessandria in B2 and finally ended my career at Derthona Basketʺ.
Andrea Lattuada
Of his long militancy in the black and white shirt as a player, Andrea remembers with particular pleasure and emotion the ʺsemi-final of the 1994/95 championship against Aosta: it is a match that will remain indelible in my memory both for the enormous amount of people present at Camagna and because I scored the last basket of the match on the counterattackʺ.
Having given up his role as a basketball player, Lattuada has now embarked on a new professional path in the world of ʺtraining in the coffee supply chain: I am a trainer recognized by the Specialty Coffee Association, I have an academy in Rivanazzano Terme and I can certify all the modules of the Coffee Skills Program. Furthermore, we also have a micro roastery that roasts very high quality coffee which we sell mainly abroad.
Andrea's great passion for the world of coffee was born during his university years, a period in which ʺTo pay for my studies I worked as a waiter and barman in nightclubs. One evening I met the marketing manager of Brasilia, at the time one of the largest coffee machine manufacturing companies, who asked me if I intended to start a journey in that field. In 2003 I won the Italian Cafe Barista Championship and in recent years I have dedicated myself, together with my partner, to training people who participate in these events, which are part of the World Coffee Event..
In addition to training, Lattuada is also a consultant for several companies including ʺLuckin Coffee, which is a rapidly expanding Chinese start-up and which will submit its public offering application to Wall Street in May. Their goal is to beat Starbucks first in China and then in the rest of the world: I became their testimonial and brand ambassador as in 2017 they were looking for a European person, and an Italian one in particular, who could help them grow. Furthermore, since 2002 I have been a consultant for Milan Gold, another Chinese company.
Although work has progressively distanced him from Tortona, Andrea admits that he always follows the results of the team, of which he is a partner with 9bar: among the best moments he remembers is the victory of the Italian Cup, which ʺI followed it on television. It was nice to see the happiness of my former teammates and the indelible moment in which Luigino, probably the greatest Derthona Basket fan who ever existed, lifted the Cup, which was the culmination of a journey and a dream that began a long time ago does.
In the near future of Derthona, Lattuada hopes to see ʺthe team promoted to Serie A: Tortona deserves it for the passion there is and for the fact that it has built itself over timeʺ.
