TRIESTE — Few Italian brands are tied to a city as closely as illycaffè is to Trieste. The Adriatic port has been central to the coffee trade since the Habsburg era, and from here Andrea Illy, chairman of the family-owned company founded by his grandfather Francesco in 1933, is driving one of the most significant expansions in Italian coffee.

“Trieste is a great coffee capital, the most important port in the Mediterranean,” Illy said in a recent interview at the Foreign Press Association in Rome. “Venice and Trieste are the two great imperial cities of coffee consumption, and both owe that identity to what came through Trieste.”

The figures underline that growth. The roasting plant in Trieste, opened in 1965 with a capacity of 600 tonnes, is expected to reach 27,000 tonnes this year, and a new roasting facility will eventually double output. Illycaffè now operates in 144 countries, with over two thirds of revenue generated abroad. The United States remains its largest foreign market followed by the European Union.

Beauty and quality as one

At the heart of the brand is what Illy calls the union of beauty and quality, inspired by the Greek concept of kalokagathia — the idea that nothing can be beautiful unless it is also good, and vice versa. This philosophy shapes three enduring design symbols: the espresso cup, the metal tin, and the coffee machine. “The consumption of an espresso is an aesthetic experience,” Illy said, “and vision is the most powerful channel we have.”

Farming for the future

Sustainability is central to the company’s strategy. Illycaffè has worked directly with coffee growers for three decades, establishing its own Università del Caffè to share agronomic expertise and support consistent quality. Climate change has intensified that effort. With research suggesting that up to half of today’s coffee-growing land may become unsuitable, the company has embraced regenerative agriculture, focused on soil health, biodiversity, and organic carbon instead of agrochemicals.

This vision also inspired the Regenerative Society Foundation, created to extend regenerative economic principles beyond coffee. “The model creates not just profits for shareholders, but wellbeing for all stakeholders,” Illy said, “in the form of health, happiness, inclusivity, and prosperity, while regenerating the environment at the same time.”