My Illy and me

Established in 1933 by Francesco Illy, the company produces and markets world-wide a single, leading-quality blend of espresso coffee, made using nine types of pure Arabica. From the balance of these ingredients from South and Central America, India and Africa arises the unmistakable flavour and aroma of illy coffee, always constant in every cup and in any part of the world. Currently, the blend is sold in 140 countries in all five continents and is served in over 50,000 public restaurants and bars. In 2006, exports accounted for 54% of total sales.

With the aim of assuring a complete and quality experience with the cup of coffee, illycaffè has perfected a series of elements and instruments that contribute to a perfect taste: from systems for preparing coffee and coffee machines to coffee bars - via the Espressamente illy chain of Italian style coffee bars in licensing - to training of barmen and specialized personnel at the University of coffee.

illycaffè is based in Trieste and managed by the second and third generation of the Illy family: Ernesto, the founder's son, is honorary chairman, and his son, Andrea, chairman.

Science and innovation in the world of coffee

Over the past 100 years, of the seven radical innovations to have revolutionized the manner of making, considering and tasting coffee, three have been introduced by illycaffè. Two were invented by the founder of the company, Francesco Illy: the "Illetta", the progenitor of today's espresso machines, produced in 1934, and pressurization, a system for packaging and preserving coffee in which the air inside a can is replaced with inert gases at above-atmospheric pressure, making it possible to ‘export' the coffee outside the zone of production. This was introduced in 1935. The third innovation, instead, dates from the 1970s: the first capsule of single-portion coffee, introduced with the aim of exporting espresso to countries in which the skills of the barmen in making espresso - a critical variable in the achievement of excellence - were lacking. The other innovations were: flexible packaging (multipack), decaffeinated coffee, freeze-dried coffee and liquid coffee.

Espresso coffee is a complex beverage made up of 1,500 chemical substances (of which 800 volatile), which must blend harmoniously to form a complete aroma, and over 13 chemical and physical variables, which affect the correct preparation. For this reason, the study and research applied to coffee and all the production processes - from selection to preparation - have been a strategic feature of the company's stance ever since its foundation. With a multidisciplinary approach that involves numerous areas of study, illycaffè has become involved in scientific research geared to attaining excellence in quality. illycaffè's Technological Research & Development division - recognized internationally as a centre of excellence in the study of coffee - consists of two research centers, one in Trieste and one at São Paulo in Brazil, and five laboratories: Aromalab, SensoryLab, Biolab, TechLab and FoodLab.

The production process

While it takes fifty coffee beans to prepare an excellent espresso coffee, it needs only one bad one to ruin it. For this reason, constant checks are necessary: from the supply, selecting only the finest lots, to the processing undertaken by the company itself, during which the product undergoes 114 checks before being packaged. illycaffè also has an electronic selection system for the coffee beans, which makes it possible to evaluate each single one, at the rate of 5,000 a second, eliminating any that are imperfect. These controls are in addition to the most sophisticated of the instruments: the palate of the company's "sommeliers", who taste the different lots of product that will make up the illycaffè blend. Every lot of coffee, before becoming illy coffee, is submitted to eight sensorial tasting.

The processes used for the toasting, which is done after blending, the cooling by air and the pressurized packaging, make it possible to make a product with an intense aroma and balanced taste preserving all its flavors over time.

Thanks to the care taken over its production processes, illycaffè is the only foodstuffs company in the world to have obtained a double certification: the quality system on the basis of ISO 9001 regulations, and product conformity, in accordance with the regulations agreed with Qualitè France. Its commitment to the environment has also been certified: in 2003, illycaffè was awarded ISO 14001 environmental certification, and in 2004 EMAS registration, winning the EMAS Award in 2005 for its commitment to improving its performance with regard to all of the environmental aspects of the company.