illycaffè is a brand of coffee produced in Trieste, Italy. illy produces principally one blend in three roast variations: normal, dark roast, and decaffeinated. The blend is packaged as whole beans, pre-ground coffee, E.S.E. pods, or iperEspresso Capsules.
illy also produces single origin coffees from countries such as Brazil, Guatamala, Ethopia, Colombia, Costa Rica and Nigeragua. Seasonally, illy offer idillyum, a low caffeine arabica coffee grown in El Salavdor which is popular among those coffee drinkers looking to cut back on their caffeine intake.
Fransesco Illy founded the company in 1933. To this day, illy remains family controlled and had a total revenue in 2016 exceeding €460 million.
One of the reasons that illycaffè enjoyed success early in its development was because of their iconic red and grey can packaging which they developed to keep coffee fresher for longer. These cans are pressurized with Nitrogen, which prevents oxidation. A development such as this set illy aside from its competitors as they were able to deliver a fresher product to their customers every time. The red and grey illy branding has become extremely famous and symbolic.
As of the late 1980s, illy buys its coffee beans exclusively from source countries, rather than international markets. This process cuts out the middle man and ensures that coffee workers are being paid fairly for their work. illy also offers free training to coffee growers and does not require these growers to enter into an exclusive contract with them after training.
illy was the first company to receive the Responsible Supply Chain Process (RSCP) certification of sustainability.