- The Nation -
Italian coffee giant illycaffe has just officially opened the Università del caffé della Thailandia or the illy School of Coffee in a move to promote coffee culture in Thailand.
Italian coffee giant illycaffe yesterday officially opened the Università del caffé della Thailandia or the illy School of Coffee in a move to promote coffee culture in Thailand.
The company is also negotiating with potential franchisees for the opening of Espressamente illy coffee boutiques in the Kingdom.
Coffee-culture manager Roberto Morelli said the school in Thailand would help enhance coffee culture in Asia, and provide appropriate levels of focus to every aspect of coffee, from plantations to a perfectly brewed cup.
Illy was founded by Francesco Illy in 1933 and now delivers coffee to 140 countries.
"We have created a unique blend made by coffee growers in more than 30 countries. Illy currently has 50,000 clients around the world, with six million cups of illy coffee being served everyday," Morelli said.
Illycaffe entered the Asia-Pacific region in 1989 by setting up outlets in Australia and Taiwan. Now, illy coffee is available in 22 Asian countries.
"The potential is huge in Asia. It is the fastest growing continent in terms of economy. Asian people are also committed to the teaching and learning process, and have developed an interest in coffee. We see great potential for espresso here," he said.
Morelli said illycaffe also opened a school in Jakarta two days ago. He explained that coffee schools are devoted not just to brewing coffee, but they also focus on coffee growers, coffee professionals in the food and the beverage sector as well as coffee connoisseurs.
The first illy school was opened in Italy in 1999, and now there are some 20 campuses across the world, with six in Asia - China, Malaysia, South
Korea, Indonesia, Thailand and India.
Morelli said about 13,000 people graduated from its coffee schools last year, 8,000 of whom became coffee professionals, 1,000 coffee growers and the rest connoisseurs.
Morelli said that illycaffe was also looking for franchise partners in Thailand, though it was not in a huge rush.
Gian Carlo de Cesare, manager for illycaffe's Thailand operations, said the firm was considering some proposals submitted as part of the "Espressamente illy" franchise project.
Raymond de Malherbe, director for the Asia-Pacific Region, said Asia shared about 16 per cent of the world's coffee market in terms of volume. The region, excluding Japan, has enjoyed significant growth of about 8 per cent per annum.
Created in 2006, Espressamente illy helps develop coffee boutiques in potential markets, and so far the firm has nearly 230 coffee bars in 40 markets worldwide. In Asia, the Espressamente illy coffee boutiques have been set up Malaysia, Japan, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Hong Kong, China, South Korea, Taiwan and India, as well as in Australia and New Zealand.