Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/57872
The Emperor of Andrea Illy of Italy's illycaffè has a fanatical devotion to quality and a passion for expanding the company's coffee brand across the globe. by Sharon Shinn I 18 BizEd NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2007 Espresso t wouldn't be surprising to learn that espresso, not blood, runs in Andrea Illy's veins. In 2005, the chairman and chief executive officer of illycaffè, based in Trieste, Italy, took over operations in the company that his family has run for three generations. His degree in chemistry, earned from the University of Trieste, enabled him to develop an almost clinical appreciation of the makeup of the coffee bean. In 1995, he co-wrote Espresso Cof- fee: The Science of Quality with a handful of other specialists. In short, coffee is at the center of his professional life. That life has been as rich and satisfying as the perfectly brewed cup. While he spent some time at Nestlé, Illy has been part of his family's operation since 1990, first working as a quality control supervisor, then as managing director, before ultimately taking the top spot. Quality remains one of his primary focuses, and the company is legendary for putting coffee beans through more than 100 tests before determining they are good enough for the company brand. Illy's grand- father invented the first automatic espresso machine, and the company still looks for ways to improve brewing methods. Illy's obsession with quality has helped earn the company outside validations, including the Qualité France label, as well as ISO 9001 and 14001certifications. While the quest for perfection in a demitasse cup is not conducive to rapid global growth, illycaffè has been gradually finding its aromatic way to different parts of the world. The brand can now be found in nearly 150 countries and is continuing to expand. Recently, illy espresso bars went up in China, where tea has long been a staple beverage, and in the U.S., where Starbucks is a powerful competitor. Even in markets such as these, Illy hopes to lure customers intrigued by the illycaffè ambi- ance and the pure indulgent flavor of the illycaffè brew. Realizing that a business education would prepare him for global expansion, in 1993 Illy attended the master executive program at the Bocconi Business School in Milan. He also has important yet simple les- sons to share with business students to help them prepare for their own careers: Commit yourself to a unique product, always care about qual- ity, and never stop learning.