- Thai News Service -
Interview to Andrea Illy, chairman of Italian coffee roaster illycaffè, expanding the business of the company in the far east and in the rest of the world.Andrea Illy, whose Italian family has been involved in the coffee business for 70 years, spanning three generations, says it is his dream to promote superior quality espresso and coffee culture all around the world, The Nation reports.
Illy, chairman and chief executive of Italy-based illycaffe, said in an exclusive interview with The Nation that illy can grow further, becoming four or five times the size it is now.
"My mission, however, is to do it by constantly improving the quality when coffee goes mass [market]. My dream is also to have espresso become the preferred way to enjoy coffee all around the world," he said.
The brand is sold in 140 countries, including markets in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the US, South America and the Asia-Pacific. Illy was in Bangkok last week to work on the company's plan with newly opened hotel Le Meridien Bangkok to put coffee at the centre of the hotel experience and integrate coffee in all the hotel's programmes.
The partnership between illy and Le Meridien Bangkok has several elements: "Quality in the Cup", which includes all coffee equipment and accessories, coffee beans and training; and "Quality in Service", which includes the tailor-made design of the coffee bar, service training and in-store communication.
"We have yet [to open an] Espressamente illy franchise in Thailand. We are, however, looking at a plan for Thailand," he said.
A 100-per-cent family-owned business, illy achieved global sales of 280 million euros (Bt13.3 billion) last year, a 3-per-cent increase over 2007.
"However, we project the same growth this year, due to the current global economic difficulties. Otherwise, the company could have grown by 10 per cent or 12 per cent in normal economic conditions," Illy said.
"I, with my brothers and sister - we represent the third generation of the company. The company was founded by my grandfather Francesco in 1935. He was an inventor of press ionization and reinvented espresso technology, which is made with a water temperature of 90 degrees Celsius and nine bars of pressure. My father's formula has continued until today."
Illy's father, Ernesto, was a doctor of chemistry. He also came up with several inventions, such as paper pods and electronic bean selection. Andrea also has training in chemistry.
"For the last 10 years, we were quite successful in making illy global and developing a full range of products and services for delivering perfect quality in the cup and service," said Illy.
"We work in all elements that contribute to the perfect espresso. We work directly with coffee growers. We go and motivate them to make superior quality coffee. Then, we train them in how to reach the illy standard, which is much superior to the market," said Illy.
He added that with illy's unique blend, consumers know they are always getting the same coffee, no matter where they are in the world.
"We use different technology for packaging, which is a metal tin. We remove air from the packaging and replace it with nitrogen gas. With no oxidation, the coffee flavour stays fresh all the time. We also use pressurisation to enhance the aroma of the coffee."
Originating at its headquarters in di Trieste in Italy, illy's Università Del Caffè (University of Coffee) was created to teach coffee professionals and even consumers about the secrets of coffee, including how to make good quality coffee - especially espresso.
So far, illy has opened branches of its Universita Del Caffe in 15 countries, including Italy, China, Korea, the US, Brazil, India, Germany, the UK, France and Greece.
"We also plan to open a University of Coffee in Bangkok by the third quarter of this year in order to help our customers deliver better quality coffee, and through that to make their businesses better," he said.
"At illy, we offer both coffee technology and skilled barista and staff."
Illy said the company has developed Espressamente illy, a chain of authentic Italian espresso bars.
"The best place to drink coffee is a cafe, and the best cafes are in Italy, where you can get the best espresso and complementary food. There is a lot of knowledge that goes into an Italian cafe. So we bring this formula and concept of the Italian cafe around the world. We started Espressamente illy five years ago and now have 250 franchises in Europe and Asia, including Japan, Korea, China, Vietnam, Malaysia and Australia.
The firm's latest initiative is illy Issimo, a joint venture with Coca-Cola to sell ready-to-drink illy in a can. The product has been launched in Eastern Europe, and will be launched this year in Italy, Germany, North America and other markets.
"We have no plan yet for the launch of illy Issimo in Thailand. It could happen next year, however," Illy said.