illy's tribute to coffee growers, documented by Salgado.
To illy, sustainable development is a fundamental tenet of coffee quality and it is this ideal that inspired In Principio, a project commissioned by illy as a tribute to the men and women who grow the raw coffee.
In Principio is a journey through the origins of green coffee, told through images, the result of a collaboration between illycaffè and the renowned humanist Brazilian photographer, Sebastião Salgado, with whom it shares the ideal of sustainable development.
After narrating the story of coffee-growers in Brazil, the journey progressed to India, then Ethiopia and Guatemala and it continues today with the slow rhythm of profound encounters: one per year.
Shot entirely in black and white, the In Principio images are beautiful, haunting and deeply respectful of the fundamental dignity of all human beings. They document the story of men and women, of landscapes, land and harmony, showing how coffee is harvested, dried and selected bean by bean.