Illy facts for kids
Illy Logo (2003-present)
|
|
| S.p.A. | |
| Industry | Coffee |
| Founded | 1933 |
| Founder | Francesco Illy |
| Headquarters | Trieste, Italy |
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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) | |
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Number of employees
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2700+ (in 2016) |
Illycaffè S.p.A., often just called illy, is an Italian company famous for its coffee. It's based in Trieste, Italy. Illy is well-known for its special espresso coffee. You can find their coffee all over the world in unique silver and red cans. They also have coffee shops in many places like shopping areas, museums, and airports. Since 2009, illy has also sold coffee-flavored energy drinks called illy issimo.
Illy offers different types of coffee. You can buy it as whole beans or ground coffee. They have medium, dark, and decaffeinated (without caffeine) roasts. They also offer special coffees from single places, like Brazil, Guatemala, Ethiopia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Tanzania, or India. Sometimes, they sell a special low-caffeine coffee called Idillyum from El Salvador. Illy coffee comes in various forms, including whole beans, ground coffee, ESE pods, and iperEspresso capsules.
Francesco Illy started the company in 1933. It is still owned and run by his family today. In 2015, illy had over 2700 employees. In 2022, the company made €567.7 million in sales. Towards the end of 2019, Illycaffè wanted to grow more in the United States. They offered a part of their company to new investors.
The Story of Illy Coffee
Illy was founded by Francesco Illy. He was born in Temesvár, which was part of the Kingdom of Hungary. During World War I, he joined the Austro-Hungarian Army. After the war, he moved to Trieste, Italy, with his sister.
In 1933, Francesco started a business selling cocoa and coffee. He soon decided to focus only on coffee. He was very interested in espresso coffee. In 1935, he invented the illetta. This was the first automatic coffee machine that used pressurized water instead of steam. It was an early version of the espresso machines we use today.
Francesco also created a special way to keep coffee fresh. He put coffee into cans and filled them with nitrogen gas. This stops oxygen from getting in and keeps the coffee from going bad. Soon, illy coffee was sold all over Italy and then around the world.
After World War II, Francesco's son, Ernesto Illy (1925–2008), took over the company. Ernesto started a research lab. This lab created many new inventions and patents for coffee. He was a scientist and worked with universities and research centers. He also helped make coffee popular worldwide.
Today, Ernesto's son, Andrea Illy (born 1964), is the chairman of the company. Andrea's sister, Anna Illy (born 1958), and brothers, Francesco Illy (born 1952) and Riccardo Illy (born 1955), are also on the company's board. Illy coffee is sold globally. Its price can change based on taxes in different countries.
In 1999, Illy started the University of Coffee, called Unicaffe. It was first in Naples, Italy. This university helps with learning, research, and new ideas about coffee. Later, it moved to the company's main offices in Trieste. Now, there are 27 Unicaffe branches around the world.
How Illy Works
Illycaffè S.p.A. sells coffee products in about 140 countries. The Illy Group includes several companies in North America, France, Germany, Spain, and Benelux. About 800 people work for the group in these places.
Since the late 1980s, illy has bought its raw, green coffee beans directly from the countries where they are grown. They do not buy from international markets. The company only buys arabica coffee beans. These come from places like Brazil, which is the biggest producer. They also buy from Colombia, India, and countries in Africa and Central America.
Illy's Università del caffè (University of Coffee) offers free training to coffee farmers. In Brazil, farmers can join a nine-month program. It includes 360 hours of lessons. Illy buys a good amount of coffee from these trained farmers. They pay a higher price for it. However, farmers do not have to sell only to illy.
Illy was the first company in the world to get the Responsible Supply Chain Process (RSCP) certification. This award from Det Norske Veritas (DNV) shows that illy's way of getting coffee is sustainable. This means it is good for the environment and the people involved.
From 2004 to 2012, illycaffè helped fund the Ernesto Illy Trieste Science Prize. This prize honored scientists from developing countries. It was done with The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS). Illy was also shown in the 2006 movie Black Gold. The movie talked about illy selling coffee from Ethiopia.
In June 2021, the chairman, Andrea Illy, spoke to The Wall Street Journal. He said illy wanted to sell more coffee in the United States. The U.S. is the biggest coffee market in the world. He said they would focus on their brand and improve how they deliver coffee. This includes selling more online and in places like hotels, restaurants, and cafes.
Illy Products
Illy coffees are made by mixing arabica beans from different places. The ground coffee is put into steel cans. These cans are filled with a special gas instead of air. This helps keep the coffee fresh.
On May 22, 2009, illy teamed up with The Coca-Cola Company. They launched a line of coffee-flavored energy drinks called illy issimo. In 2009, AirTran Airways started serving these drinks to passengers. Now, illy issimo comes in five flavors: caffè, caffè no sugar, cappuccino, latte macchiato, and mochaccino.
Art and Design at Illy
In 1992, Francesco Illy, Andrea Illy's brother, started The Illy Art Collection. This project brings together illy with famous artists and designers. These artists create special artwork for illy's coffee cups. They also help design illy coffee machines and create unique advertisements.
Many famous artists have worked on the coffee cup artwork. These include Robert Rauschenberg, Francis Ford Coppola, David Byrne, Jeff Koons, Yoko Ono, and James Rosenquist. Architects Matteo Thun and Luca Trazzi have also designed cups. In 2006, this art project also started on illy's coffee cans. You can see the newest cups and other special items on the company's website. There is also a gallery at the company that shows the collection.
See also
In Spanish: Illy para niños
- Domori
- Easy Serving Espresso Pod
- IperEspresso
- Single-serve coffee container
- List of Italian companies
