Ernesto Illy
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Ernesto Illy (July 18, 1925 – February 3, 2008) was an Italian food chemist and businessman, known as the chairman of the Illycaffè S.p.A. coffee manufacturer. He was deeply and widely respected, and is considered "an absolute giant" in the world of coffee and espresso, He spearheaded Illy's research into coffee and espresso quality, as summarized in his son Andrea's book, ''Espresso: The Chemistry of Quality,'' which was written with Ernesto's assistance.


Biography

Born in
Trieste Trieste ( , ; ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital and largest city of the Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as of the Province of Trieste, ...
, Illy was the son of the Hungarian-Italian chocolate maker
Francesco Illy Francesco Illy ( Hungarian: Illy Ferenc; 7 October 1892 – 1956) was a Hungarian-born accountant, bookkeeper, businessman and philanthropist, best known for founding Illy and inventing various coffee-related machinery. Born in Temesvár, in ...
, a
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
officer, who had established the espresso making company in 1933. Ernesto studied
chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...
at
University of Bologna The University of Bologna (, abbreviated Unibo) is a Public university, public research university in Bologna, Italy. Teaching began around 1088, with the university becoming organised as guilds of students () by the late 12th century. It is the ...
(1947) and immediately joined Illy, and later took over the company from his father (1956). Ernesto created a high-tech manufacturing process, specializing in the making of
espresso Espresso (, ) is a concentrated form of coffee produced by forcing hot water under high pressure through finely ground coffee beans. Originating in Italy, espresso has become one of the most popular coffee-brewing methods worldwide. It is cha ...
coffee, for which he also was an evangelist. He was chairman of Illy 1963-2004 and then honorary chairman. Ernesto Illy took part in the establishment of Association Scientifique Internationale pour le Café (chairman, 1991-). He was married to Anna Rossi. The Illy company is run by their son
Andrea Illy Andrea Illy (born 2 September 1964) is an Italian businessman. He is the Chairman of illycaffè S.p.A., a family coffee business founded in Trieste in 1933. He has additionally been Chairman of Altagamma since 2013. Life and education Illy was ...
(born 1964), and among the board members are the daughter Anna Illy and son Riccardo Illy (born 1955), who has also been mayor of
Trieste Trieste ( , ; ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital and largest city of the Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as of the Province of Trieste, ...
and President of
Friuli-Venezia Giulia Friuli-Venezia Giulia () is one of the 20 regions of Italy and one of five autonomous regions with special statute. The regional capital is Trieste on the Gulf of Trieste, a bay of the Adriatic Sea. Friuli-Venezia Giulia has an area of and a ...
region. Their first son, Francesco, is also involved.''Small is big.''
from Wine Spectator, May 26th, 2015


Awards

* Cavaliere del Lavoro of Italy (Knight of Industry, 1994) * honorary doctorates and master's degrees (such as University of Udine, 2005) * Centromarca brand organization (president, 1996-) * Specialty Coffee Association of America (S.C.A.A.). "Lifetime Achievement Award" (1997) * Monte Carmelo (Brazil) county (honorary citizenship, 2002) *
International Coffee Organization The International Coffee Organization (ICO) was set up in 1963 in London under the auspices of the United Nations (UN) due to the economic importance of coffee. It administers the International Coffee Agreement (ICA) which is an important instrum ...
, London (chairman of the promotion committee, 2002-) * Anacafè member of the order, Flor del Cafè (Guatemala, 2004).


References


Further reading


The Scotsman: Ernesto Illy


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Illy, Ernesto Businesspeople in coffee Scientists from Trieste Businesspeople from Trieste Food chemists Italian people of Hungarian descent 1925 births 2008 deaths Illycaffè 20th-century Italian businesspeople