Hanne Lassgård
CEO & Founder
Daughter of a famous actor, Hanne Lassgård grew up on film sets but carved her own path, starting her career at the age of 20.
She excelled as a coordinator and project manager in international film and TV projects. Later, she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work and dedicated five years to working for children's rights. Hanne is entirely self-made and previously built a successful coffee brand. The knowledge and experience she gained from that venture serve as proof of concept and the expertise she now brings to other brands in business. Hanne's unique background and versatile expertise make her an invaluable asset to the 15 Coffee Pledge movement.
"We’re solving a 150-year-old problem by cutting out all middlemen and offering farm-to-cup coffee"
Juan David Lassgård
Co-founder
Juan David is an international tech entrepreneur with 14 years of experience, having transitioned from the nightclub industry in 2010. He began his tech journey by launching the first guest list app on the App Store that same year and went on to develop software for the landmark wharfside Building China Basin in San Francisco. Over the past four years, David has driven innovation in the coffee industry with his own brand, Lassgård, before expanding his focus to support other brands and advancing the 15 Coffee Pledge movement.
His Colombian roots infuse our coffee with authentic traditions and strong ties to local coffee entrepreneurs, fueling our success with innovation and passion.
Got a Minute? So, You Want to Hear How Coffee Found Us?
We are Hanne and David, and we’re obsessed with coffee, branding, and business. But our journey to starting Lassgård is anything but the usual "we-love-coffee-so-we-started-a-company" story. This is a tale of family ties, Colombian adventures, and an unexpected meeting that changed our lives.
In 2017, we traveled to Medellín, Colombia, searching for David's biological parents and to explore his cultural roots. Despite our best efforts, we found no family. Feeling both disappointed and adventurous, we decided to visit a traditional coffee farm in the Colombian Andes. That’s where we met the Acevedo family, who had been cultivating coffee for over 100 years, part of a lineage of farmers who have been suppressed for over 150 years by middlemen and unfair trade practices.
The global coffee chain, the longest in the food and drink industry, has often left farmers at the bottom, struggling to survive despite being the backbone of the industry. But the Acevedos had started to fight back, producing and roasting sustainable specialty coffee, and their brew? It was the best we had ever tasted. We quickly realized we hadn’t just found a coffee farm—we had found a calling.
Back in Sweden, David was busy with his tech startup and Hanne was advocating for children’s rights, but our thoughts kept returning to that coffee farm. When the pandemic hit, life slowed down, and we ordered 10 kg of coffee from the Acevedos to share with friends and family. The response was overwhelming—they loved it! That’s when the idea struck—why not share this amazing coffee with all of Sweden?
We named our brand Lassgård, Hanne's surname and one of Scandinavia's most recognizable names. Between 2021 and 2024, we built our coffee brand from the ground up—handling everything from packaging and tasting to e-commerce and delivery. Our direct-from-the-farm coffee quickly spread across Sweden, but we knew we needed to be closer to the source.
In 2022, we moved to Medellín, the heart of coffee production, to truly immerse ourselves in the process. Now in 2024, with an incredible team of designers, photographers, and coffee producers, we’re not just selling coffee—we’re solving a 150-year-old problem by cutting out all middlemen and offering farm-to-cup coffee, ensuring that farmers finally receive their fair share.
And when you’re ready to build your own sustainable coffee brand, we’re here to help you make it happen.