When Francesco Illy founded his company in 1933 he had a dream: to make the best coffee that nature can produce and share it with the entire world. From that day, illycaffe has never stopped working to make that dream come true. His idea contained new and revolutionary concepts.
He remained committed to these throughout his life, and his children and grandchildren have nurtured them and turned them into a unique business and family history.
Today, illy is the world’s most global coffee brand, producing the unique illy 100% Arabica blend made of 9 of the world ‘s best selections of Arabica; enjoyed each day with more than 7 million cups served in over 140 countries in the finest cafés, restaurants and hotels.
illy’s mission, passion and obsession is to delight people around the world who value quality of life by offering the finest coffee nature can provide. Illy has perfected the art and science of coffee and seek beauty in everything they do. illy is the benchmark for quality coffee around the world:
• The only F&B business awarded in the Worlds’ most Ethical Businesses for 8 consecutive years
• 68% of Italians seek an illy cafe for their daily coffee*
• 9 out of 10 Italian baristas prefer illy coffee*
• Recognised as the global coffee innovator and quality benchmark
• Each roast from 9 different origins to balance the delivery of the distinctive illy taste
• Renowned for improving a cafe’s bottom line: growing their top line, through delivering more “second cups” while using only 8gms of coffee
• Respect for communities throughout the supply chain focused on sustainabilitiy and ethical sourcing
* illy proprietary research
The quality of illy coffee starts with the raw materials. To ensure consistent quality the company has purchased its coffee directly from growers from 20 regions for over 20 years buying only excellent Arabica, with our 150 quality checks to ensure every bean meets illy’s standards.
“The best can only be one”. The unmistakable illy blend unchanging in every cup wherever in the world it is enjoyed, from the equilibrium of 9 types of pure Arabica.
Over the years, illy has perfected its roasting process, which makes it possible to obtain a coffee with a rich aromatic profile, a balanced taste and a velvety body.
Just like fine wine, illy coffee undergoes an ageing process. In 1932 Francesco Illy developed the pressurisation technique, a packaging system that replaces the air inside the cans with an inert gas under pressure. The patent is maintained to this day and has been successfully proven to ensure bean freshness throughout its life.
Whatever the method of preparation, illy works with its partners to provide equipment and systems that optimise the quality in the cup.
Taste perfection is achieved by finding a balance between the components – bitter, acidic and sweet – and the aromatic properties of coffee.
We ensure the complete elimination of any defects in our coffee by meticulously selecting each single bean, and ensure it is always fresh thanks to the pressurised packaging.
The characteristics of the illy taste are:
1. Excellent balance between bitterness and acidity
2. The broadest possible aromatic profile
3. Sweet, long-lasting aftertaste
4. Full-bodied, with a velvety consistency