The company
The businessman’s gamble that became a brand symbolising quality
Founded in 1933 by Francesco Illy, illycaffè produces and sells a unique blend of high quality coffee made from nine types of pure Arabica beans. A careful balance of ingredients from South and Central America, India and Africa creates the unmistakeable illy flavour: always identical in any espresso cup, wherever it is drunk around the world.
The illy blend is destined for the Ho.Re.Ca. (hotel, restaurant and catering) sector, household and office consumption. It is now marketed in 140 countries worldwide, covering all 5 continents, and is served in more than 50,000 bars.
The chairman and CEO of illycaffè is Andrea Illy. Based in Trieste, the company is led by the third generation of the Illy family.
Today, the illycaffè group helps to develop the global market and culture of coffee by working on all the factors that go into the perfect cup of espresso: the blend, the machines, the preparation, the training of specialised bar staff and even the design of bars and venues where people can enjoy drinking coffee. It disseminates the culture of coffee by continually reinventing tradition.
In 2008 the illycaffè group, with 11 direct and indirect subsidiaries and over 700 employees, achieved consolidated sales of €280 million with net profits of €8 million. Exports represented 54% of total sales.
“espressamente illy” (expressly illy): a truly global project
In 2003, the company launched “espressamente illy” for its international clientele. It is a chain of Italian-style bars with a commercial formula similar to a franchise. The cornerstones of the project are a desire for quality and the innovative design concept of its bars. There are now 230 espressamente illy (expressly illy) bars in over 30 countries.
The Coffee University: a centre of excellence for the coffee culture.
The Coffee University was established in Naples in 1999, before being transferred to Trieste in 2002. It is a centre of excellence created by illy to promote and disseminate the culture of quality coffee using specific theoretical and practical activities, and offers a wide range of courses tailored to meet the needs and characteristics of various types of user: managers, bartenders, restaurant owners, hotel managers and also coffee growers and consumers.
Apart from the head office in Trieste, the Coffee University has fourteen branches outside of Italy: Brazil (São Paulo), India (Bangalore), China (Shanghai), South Korea (Seoul), Egypt (Cairo), the Netherlands (Rotterdam), France/Benelux (Paris), Germany (Munich), Croatia (Opatija), Great Britain (London), the United States (New York), Greece (Athens), Turkey (Istanbul) and the Czech Republic (Prague).
Over 10,000 people attend the University’s training courses each year.