illy History
ILLYCAFFE: a passion for excellence
illy Sets The Bar For High Quality Coffee with Unparalleled Commitment to Quality, Technology, Sustainability, Education, Culture and Art
If you've awoken to the pleasures of a creamy cappuccino, or can fully appreciate a perfectly prepared espresso to cap off a great meal, thank the Illy family, whose passion for excellence is translated into every cup of coffee it serves to connoisseurs and coffee lovers around the world. For over 80 years, illy has created an authentic Italian coffee experience through quality, aesthetics and culture. Illy has been the model for global leaders in the coffee world with its uncompromising approaches and standards from bean to cup and refusal to accept anything but the highest quality Arabica beans. In its quest for an excellent Italian Espresso product, illy goes beyond the coffee beans and focuses on valuing people and ethics through sustainability and developing every coffee-growing region where it sources its beans with profound dedication to the people. Illy expresses its love for art and culture, and thirst for beauty in everything that they do. In short, illy doesn't compete with other coffee roasters around the world - it sets the standard and follows through with all things inherent to the illy brand - a passion for quality, technology, sustainability, education and overall excellence coupled with art and culture to complete the illy experience.
illy: An Innovative Family and Excellent Product
Illycaffe was founded in 1933 by Francesco Illy, and for three generations, illy has led the coffee industry in innovation, technology and knowledge. An inventor and industry leader, in 1935 Francesco Illy created the first breakthrough automatic espresso machine that substituted compressed air for steam; he called it the "Illetta". He went on to develop countless innovations, including illy's proprietary pressurized packing system for preserving coffee, later improved upon and still in use.
After World War II, control of illy was passed to Francesco's son, Ernesto Illy. Armed with a chemistry degree and his father's passion for pleasure, consistency and fulfillment through espresso coffee, Ernesto worked in a research laboratory that would become the breeding ground for the 17 inventions and patents that illy has held over the years. These patents trademark various aspects of coffee processing and preparation, and illy holds three of the seven major innovations in coffee in the last 100 years - pressurization technique, E.S.E. easy serving espresso pods and the invention of the Illetta.
To this day, illy continues to share its scientific mission and discoveries with other companies in order to improve the quality of coffee worldwide. In 2005, the leadership of illycaffe was passed to CEO Andrea Illy, who took the helm as the third generation of the entrepreneurial family to lead the company and sustain its passion and vision for quality through technology, sustainability, art and more. Under Andrea Illy's leadership, the company has expanded its global penetration from 29 countries to over 100 countries, has increased revenues by well over 130% percent and continues to build illy as the world's quality coffee.
illy is the world's finest Italian Espresso Coffee
Illy believes in producing one unique blend of coffee for both brewed and espresso preparation and knows that every bean must reach its high quality standards. Made from 100% finest quality Arabica beans handpicked from nine different growing regions around the world, illy espresso is distinctly identifiable to those who know illy quality and are familiar with the illy experience. In a joint venture with Sortex Ltd., illycaffe designed its own state-of-the-art electronic machinery that examines each individual Arabica bean, eliminates the inferior ones and moves the select beans on to be roasted for optimum flavor and then air-cooled. This is only a small portion of the 114 quality controls illy coffee must go through before any can or cup of illy coffee is ever packaged, opened or served by its elite consumers around the globe.
Another illycaffe exclusive is the pressurization technique used by the company to preserve its coffee. In this process, air is extracted from the cans and replaced with inert gases, guaranteeing a longer preservation time and maintaining the coffee's freshness for up to two years. At the same time it "ages" the coffee, improving its aroma by binding it with the oils that are contained in the beans. These techniques are all brought to life in Trieste, Italy's University of Coffee, where baristas and professionals involved in the coffee world are educated, enriched and enlightened on unique aspects of coffee history, preparation, techniques and service areas.
illy shows dedication to sustainability from plantation to cup
Through unparalleled technology and the willingness to create a coffee culture that is inspirational, educational and rewarding, illy improves lives at the economic, social and educational levels. Illy's mission is to care and grow the regions where their coffee originates, from Brazil to Ethiopia to India. Farmers in these areas are motivated to supply the world's best Arabica beans for illy. They are educated through universities, technologies, partnerships and profound knowledge so the quality of production matches the illy standard of excellence. Illy not only educates the farmers, it rewards them. The program illy developed for Brazil has given the country's growers the opportunities not only to grow the best coffee, but to advance their entire country. Brazil now sells 40 million bags of coffee as opposed to the 16 million bags sold in 1990, before illy programs began. Brazil benefits from the ongoing relationship with illy as well as from the Quality Award for Coffee Growers, a cash prize that illy awards to the country's highest coffee producers annually. Now in its 15th year, over 600 Brazilian producers from different production areas in Brazil like Sul de Minas and Alta Mogiana, take part in the competition in an attempt to deliver the finest Arabica bean. Each year surpasses the year before, in entries and in quality coffee, making Brazilian coffee production now one of the best in the international market and proving illy's goals for sustainability to be attainable.
Illy also practices fair trade with a goal in mind to achieve unmatched quality. The premium is reinvested in illy's sourcing systems by selecting the growers and motivating them to work directly with illy though awards and programs. Through the Universidade illy do Café in Sao Paolo and education from its team of agronomists, illy strives to constantly bring about the best crop and post harvest processing practices. Above all, illy always buys its coffee directly from the grower and pays above market prices without being swayed by fluctuation.
Illy is a company with ethics and a global perspective. Illycaffe holds four certifications that acknowledge its high quality standards and its exemplary environmental policies. In 2003, illycaffe opened its new low-emission roasting plant in Trieste, Italy. This highly efficient plant produces a perfectly roasted and pressure packed coffee and does so with less impact on the environment due to reductions in energy consumption. Through all of these programs and initiatives, illy is a world leader in sustainability. In up and down markets, illy's long-term policy of joining quality with economic, social and environmental sustainability and the knowledge through education for this prosperity to grow, gives its cadre of growers a stability unknown in the world of commodity coffee. Quality of experience, quality of process, quality of life, for all those who are involved in production and marketing, for all those who uphold illy's high quality standards, for all those who know illy and end up with a perfect cup of coffee
Coffee connoisseurs and lovers choose illy
The best hotels and restaurants in the world serve illy. Suites at the Mandarin Oriental Hotels stock the illy-owned FrancisFrancis! espresso machines and E.S.E. pod serving. Restaurateurs and chefs such as Sirio Maccioni, Julian Niccolini, Drew Nieporent, Marcus Samuelsson and Laurent Tourondel would not use any other brand. Illy's fan list includes opinion leaders in film, literature, art, music, design, architecture and fashion.