Illy facts for kids
Illy logo (2003–present)
|
|
| S.p.A. | |
| Industry | Coffee |
| Founded | 1933 |
| Founder | Francesco Illy |
| Headquarters | Trieste, Italy |
|
Area served
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Worldwide |
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Key people
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Andrea Illy (chairman) Massimiliano Pogliani (CEO) |
| Products | Coffee, espresso machines |
| Revenue | €567.7 million (in 2022) |
| €14.2 million (in 2022) | |
|
Number of employees
|
2700+ (in 2016) |
Illycaffè S.p.A. (known as illy) is a famous Italian company that makes coffee. It's based in Trieste, Italy, and is especially known for its espresso coffee. Illy sells its coffee all over the world in special silver and red cans. These cans keep the coffee fresh by removing oxygen.
You can find Illy coffee in many places. They have their own cafes in shopping areas, museums, and airports. Since 2009, Illy has also sold coffee-flavored energy drinks called illy issimo.
Illy offers different kinds of coffee. You can buy whole beans or ground coffee. They have medium, dark, and decaffeinated (caffeine-free) roasts. They also offer special coffees from single places like Brazil, Ethiopia, and India. Sometimes, they sell a unique low-caffeine coffee called Idillyum. Illy packages its coffee in whole beans, ground coffee, and special pods or capsules for coffee machines.
The company was started in 1933 by Francesco Illy. It is still owned and run by his family today. In 2015, Illy had over 2,700 employees. In 2022, the company made about €567.7 million in sales.
Contents
The Story of Illy Coffee
Illy was founded by a man named Francesco Illy. He was born in a place called Temesvár, which is now Timișoara, Romania. After World War I, he moved to Trieste, Italy.
In 1933, Francesco started a business selling cocoa and coffee. He soon decided to focus only on coffee. He was very interested in making espresso. In 1935, he invented the first automatic coffee machine. This machine used pressurized water instead of steam. He called it the illetta, and it was a very early version of the espresso machines we use today.
Francesco Illy also created a special way to keep coffee fresh. He put coffee into cans and filled them with nitrogen gas. This gas stops the coffee from going stale. Because of this invention, Illy coffee could be sold far beyond Trieste, all over Italy.
New Ideas and Family Leadership
After World War II, Francesco's son, Ernesto Illy, took over the company. Ernesto was a scientist. He started a research lab at Illy. This lab created many new inventions and ideas for coffee. Ernesto also worked with universities and research centers. He helped share knowledge about coffee around the world.
Today, Ernesto's son, Andrea Illy, is the chairman of the company. Other members of the Illy family are also involved. Illy coffee is now sold globally. Its price can change depending on taxes and fees in different countries.
In 1999, Illy started the University of Coffee, called Unicaffe. It began in Naples, Italy, and later moved to the company's main offices in Trieste. Unicaffe teaches people about coffee, supports research, and helps develop new ideas. It now has 27 branches around the world.
How Illy Works Today
Illycaffè S.p.A. sells its coffee products in about 140 countries. The Illy Group includes several companies in places like North America, France, and Germany. About 800 people work for the group in these locations.
Since the late 1980s, Illy has bought its raw coffee beans directly from the farms. They don't buy from big international markets. The company only buys arabica coffee beans. These come from countries like Brazil, Colombia, India, and parts of Africa and Central America.
Illy's Università del caffè (University of Coffee) offers free training for coffee farmers. For example, in Brazil, farmers can join a nine-month program. This program teaches them a lot about growing coffee. Illy buys some of the coffee from these trained farmers at a higher price. This helps the farmers, but they don't have to sell only to Illy.
Illy was the first coffee company to get a special award for being sustainable. This award, called the Responsible Supply Chain Process (RSCP) certification, means they get their coffee in a way that is good for the environment and the people who grow it.
From 2004 to 2012, Illy also helped fund the Ernesto Illy Trieste Science Prize. This prize recognized scientists from developing countries. Illy was also shown in a 2006 movie called Black Gold. The movie talked about how Illy marketed coffee from Ethiopia.
In 2021, the chairman Andrea Illy said the company wanted to grow more in the United States. He mentioned focusing on their brand and improving how they deliver coffee to stores, hotels, and cafes.
Illy's Coffee Products
Illy coffees are made by blending arabica beans from different places. The ground coffee is put into steel cans. These cans are filled with a special gas, not air, to keep the coffee fresh.
In 2009, Illy teamed up with The Coca-Cola Company. They launched a line of coffee-flavored energy drinks called illy issimo. These drinks became available on AirTran Airways flights that same year. Today, illy issimo comes in five flavors, including caffè, cappuccino, and latte macchiato.
Art and Design at Illy
In 1992, Francesco Illy, Andrea Illy's brother, started The Illy Art Collection. This project invites famous artists and designers to create artwork for Illy's coffee cups. They also design coffee machines and special advertisements.
Many well-known artists have contributed to this collection. These include Robert Rauschenberg, Francis Ford Coppola, and Yoko Ono. Even the designer of Illy's first logo, James Rosenquist, was part of it. In 2006, the art project expanded to include designs on Illy's coffee cans. You can see the latest cups and other items on the company's website. Illy also has a gallery to show off this unique collection.
See also
In Spanish: Illy para niños
- Domori
- Easy Serving Espresso Pod
- IperEspresso
- Single-serve coffee container
- List of Italian companies
