TRIESTE, Italy – On Wednesday, December 20th, a major celebration marked the latest milestone of one of the world’s most prestigious and representative coffee brands – illycaffè. The Trieste-based company has just turned 90 years old and it is still growing stronger driven by the continuous quest for superior quality in the cup.
This starts from the painstaking work of selection and innovation in coffee sourcing to roasting and packaging made using a natural pressurization technology – patented throughout the world, and exclusive to illy.
Sustainability, along with innovation and a continuous search for product quality, has always been the key words of this company – which is family-run, but with a “strategic business model”.
“We know the whole story behind each of the beans we prepare, so we can bring the best coffee in the world to everyone in 140 countries,” commented President Andrea Illy in his speech.
Cristina Scocchia, the company’s CEO, focused on the business results of the year 2023 providing some preliminary insights into the budget that is nearing completion.
Every day 8 million cups of illy coffee are enjoyed in bars, restaurants, hotels, single-brand cafés, homes and offices in over 140 countries, where the company is present through branches and distributors.
Since its inception, illycaffè has oriented its strategies towards a sustainable business model, a commitment which it strengthened in 2019 by adopting the status of Benefit Company and in 2021 by becoming the first Italian coffee company to obtain international B Corp certification.
Since 2013, illycaffè has also been one of the World Most Ethical Companies. Everything ‘made in illy’ is enriched with beauty and art, starting from the logo, designed by James Rosenquist, the illy Art Collection, the cups decorated by more than 125 international artists or the coffee machines designed by internationally renowned designers.
In 1999, the company established the Università del Caffè, a center of excellence that promotes a culture of quality coffee all over the world through training, research and innovation.
In 2021 Rhône Capital, a global private equity firm, entered illycaffè’s capital with a minority stake of 20% to accompany the company in its international growth. In 2022, illycaffè employed 1230 people and generated a consolidated turnover of €567.7 million. The illy single-brand network has 190 points of sale in 34 countries.
