Fondazione Ernesto Illy
The Ernesto Illy Foundation, founded by illycaffè and open to other partners, was formed with the aim of developing and building on the legacy of ideas, activities and proposals left by Ernesto Illy. Its mission is to develop knowledge, ethics and sustainability not only as values in themselves, but also as business activities. The Foundation considers the promotion of research to be the best way of arriving at the truth and achieving human progress. The Foundation’s initiatives basically revolve around ethical and sustainability issues, scientific research, and the culture of coffee.
The most significant projects undertaken since the Foundation was established include the Ernesto Illy Trieste Science Prize, organized in collaboration with TWAS (Third World Academy of Sciences) and the Master’s degree in Economics and Coffee Sciences run in partnership with the universities of Trieste and Udine, the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), the coffee district of Trieste and the Consortium of Molecular Biomedicine.
Anna Rossi Illy, Honorary President of illycaffè, is also President of the Foundation. The Vice-President is her daughter Anna, while her sons Francesco, Riccardo and Andrea are all members of the Board of Directors. The Foundation is directed by Roberto Morelli, who is also responsible for the department of Coffee Culture and the illy Coffee University.
Associate members of the Ernesto Illy Foundation also include the University of Sao Paolo (Brazil), via the Fundação Instituto de Administração – PENSA, and SISSA of Trieste with whom the Foundation works on major research projects.
