Environment & Sustainability

Illycaffè’s mission – to offer the best-quality coffee possible – originates in one fundamental principle: that the entire production chain must create value for everyone involved.  Technology, the culture of coffee, and respect for the planet are all vital in the road from plantation to cup.

To ensure illycaffè has the best coffee nature can provide, only the best Arabica beans in coffee-growing countries are sought.  Our team of agronomists spends more than 300 training days each year with the growers, imparting over 75 years of knowledge and demonstrating on how the world’s best coffee is grown.

We guarantee a profit to our growers, directly buying from them at prices often 30% higher than market prices, and rewarding exceptional quality with a system of cash awards designed to improve the lives of the farmer’s and the greater community.

While illycaffe invests time, money & resources improving the technical knowledge and bean quality, the growers are not required to enter exclusive agreements to supply, giving them freedom to sell their hightest quality product to any buyer who will meet their price.

This culture of sustainable excellence has led to other ambitious, education-centric projects like the Università del Caffè. With education centres & facilities in Sao Paolo, Bangalore and Bogotà, this provides in-depth, expert training to coffee growers in their own region.

Finally, illycaffè strives to safeguard the environment at every stage of production, starting at coffee plantations spanning Africa, Central America, Brazil and India, where land is respected and treated with exceptional care, to our global production facility in Trieste, Italy.  Perhaps foremost, illycaffè is the industry pioneer in developing and promoting low-impact growing techniques that respect the environment and ensure food safety, by minimizing use of synthetic products.

Illycaffè’s long-time commitment to reducing its environmental impact has been cited extensively by leading global authorities, including the European Union’s widely respected EMAS environmental quality certification body.