Sebastião Salgado and illy join forces for a photographic journey through coffee’s homelands

Milan, 11th June 2014 – A photographic chronicle from the lands of coffee that reveals the love and dedication of the people who work with the precious beans on the plantations: this story illustrated by stirring images immortalised for illy by the lens of the celebrated photographer Sebastião Salgado in Costa Rica and Salvador will have its world premier in the illyartlab at the Triennale di Milano starting on 11th June.

As a Brazilian Salgado is well acquainted with the life of coffee producers as he has been observing them since he was a young boy, and has dedicated his photographic findings to the people, culture, stories and lands associated with coffee production. The dignity of generations of people who have dedicated their lives to harvesting coffee can be seen in the skilful movements of a man selecting coffee cherries one by one, the workers who transport the harvested fruit, the careful hands of those checking the drying process, and in the beauty of the local customs shared by the community. These images will be on display to the public in the illyartlab thanks to an evocative photographic installation.

At the heart of this joint project started by illy and Sebastião Salgado in 2003 are the close ties with the coffee-producing countries, and respect for the land and the local cultures: the famous photographer embarked on a photographic journey to discover the roots of the coffee culture in the countries and plantations where illy buys the precious ingredients for its blend. So far Brazil, India, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Colombia, China and, now, Costa Rica and Salvador have been immortalised on film.

The images depict daily life on the plantations and the sheer beauty of the land and have been featured in dedicated exhibitions in Rome, Milan, New York, London, Paris, Berlin and Beijing.

Salgado’s photographs for illy will be featured in the Coffee Cluster, the themed hall dedicated to the world of coffee that illy is managing for Expo Milano 2015 in its role as the universal event’s Official Coffee Partner.


Based in Trieste, Italy, illycaffè produces and markets a unique blend of espresso coffee and is the leading quality coffee brand. Over 6 million cups of illy espresso coffee are enjoyed every day. illy is sold in over 140 countries around the world and is available in more than 100,000 of the best restaurants and coffee bars. espressamente illy, the chain of franchised Italian-style coffee bars, is now present in more than 30 countries and comprises 230 outlets. With the aim of spreading the coffee culture, illy has founded the Università del Caffè, the centre of excellence offering theoretical and practical training on every aspect of coffee for coffee growers, coffee shop staff and enthusiasts. As the official partner of Expo Milano 2015 illycaffè is responsible for creating and managing all coffee-related content, exhibitions and events in the Coffee Cluster’s communal area. On a global level illycaffè employs about 1,050 people and produced a consolidated turnover of €374 million in 2013.

illy buys green coffee directly from the growers of the highest quality Arabica through partnerships based on the mutual creation of value. The Trieste-based company fosters long-term collaborations with the world’s best coffee growers – in Brazil, Central America, India and Africa – providing know-how and technology and offering above-market prices.


For more information, please contact:
www.illy.com
illycaffè – Anna Adriani/Christine Pascolo,Tel. 040/389.0111 – Fax 040/389.0490
illy Press Office – Connexia
Valentina Calaminici: valentina.calaminici@connexia.com
Nadia Taddei: nadia.taddei@connexia.com
Ilaria Montalti: ilaria.montalti@connexia.com