Andrea Illy, the businessman who helped turn his family’s coffee company into a global Italian brand, was born on 2 September 1964 in Trieste.
The grandson of illycaffè founder Francesco Illy, Andrea represents the third generation of the family to lead the company, following his father Ernesto, who was chairman from 1963 until 2004.
For the Illy family, coffee was more than a business. Francesco Illy’s ambition was to produce the best coffee in the world, a goal that Andrea would continue to pursue throughout his career.
Andrea studied Chemistry at the University of Trieste before continuing his education at SDA Bocconi School of Management in Milan, Harvard Business School and Singularity University in Silicon Valley.
He joined the family company in 1990, initially working as a supervisor in its quality control department. Influenced by Japanese approaches to business and manufacturing, he introduced the company’s Total Quality Programme, establishing rigorous standards for illycaffè and contributing to wider discussions about quality in the coffee industry. He became chief executive in 1994 and chairman in 2005.
Under his leadership, the company expanded internationally and developed new ways of bringing its coffee culture to consumers. Andrea established the Università del Caffè, which promotes knowledge about coffee and trains professionals across the industry, while also developing the company’s retail presence and capsule coffee system.
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The Illy family coffee dream
Andrea explored his family’s history and its relationship with coffee in his book Il sogno del caffè (Coffee: The Dream). The book traces the development of the family business and the continuing pursuit of his grandfather’s ambition to make exceptional coffee.
The Illy family’s connection with the business continues today. Andrea’s sister Anna and brothers Francesco and Riccardo Illy have also been involved with the company, with Riccardo serving as CEO before becoming vice-president.
Andrea was named Italian Businessman of the Year in 2004. He has also held a number of international positions connected with coffee and Italian business, including honorary chairman of the Association for Science and Information on Coffee and chairman of the International Coffee Organization’s Coffee Market Promotion and Development Committee.
Since 2013, he has chaired Fondazione Altagamma, which represents Italian companies that promote Italian excellence and lifestyle around the world. He has also served on the Board of Governors of the Bank of Italy for Trieste.
