illycaffè opens Gran Caffè illy at Eataly London

London, April 2021 – Today, illycaffè, a global coffee industry leader in sustainable quality, announces Gran Caffè illy will open its doors at the much-anticipated Italian food market and restaurant concept Eataly London. An icon of Italian culture, illycaffè is an Italian family business founded in Trieste in 1933, whose vision and mission has always been to produce and offer the best coffee to the world, enhanced by the best technologies and sustainable practices and by the pursuit of beauty in everything they do.

Located on the ground floor of the 42,000 sq. ft venue, Gran Caffè illy at Eataly London will be a full-service Italian coffee bar, inspired by the elegant cafés of Italy. At the heart of the coffee menu will be the illy blend, a world-renowned, unique blend of nine different types of Arabica, selected by illy from the finest beans harvested around the world, from South America to Central America, India and Africa.

Alongside illy classics such as the eponymous Italian espresso, coffee lovers can also expect specials such as illy’s Cold Brew, a 100% Arabica coffee cold brewed for 12 hours, which is naturally sweet, thirst quenching and offers a uniquely refreshing taste. For those with a sweet tooth, there will also be indulgent hot specials such as Marocchino, an espresso with hot chocolate, topped with frothed milk. The illy coffee Gran Caffè will also offer breakfast, lunch, aperitivo and late-night bites created by the Eataly London chefs using high-quality ingredients from their market.

To bring illy’s ongoing support of art and culture to life in the Gran Caffè illy space, illy has worked with Italian contemporary artist Massimiliano (Max) Petrone to create a series of artworks, which will be situated throughout the café. Featuring 12 pieces in total, each work of art is made of coffee, the same raw material illy’s world revolves around. The aim of each of the pieces is to allow customers to discover the sustainable journey in which illy’s quality is transformed into an unmistakable coffee experience, alongside illy’s One Makes The Difference campaign, promoting sustainable actions throughout the supply chain. And reflects Eataly London’s dedication to craft.

The Gran Caffè illy has extensive seating both indoors (which will open from 17 May) and outdoors. For those visiting ahead of 17 May, illy coffee can be enjoyed on the extended terrace just outside the café, or as a takeaway option.

Visitors to Eataly London will also be able to purchase a variety of illy products in the Eataly market, from coffee beans and ground coffee to accessories such as the exclusive illy Art Collection cups, and iconic coffee machines like the illy Y3.3 and X7.1.

Echoing Eataly’s ‘Eat, Shop, Learn’ mantra, the renowned Eataly cookery school ‘La Scuola’, will be hosting a number of illy coffee masterclasses from May onwards. The classes will be hosted by illy’s highly skilled team, including Aniello Manfredonia, head of illy’s Università del Caffè in the UK. The Università del Caffè draws on the wealth of knowledge illy has acquired through their long history and the desire to share it, with the aim of promoting and spreading the culture of high-quality coffee, which is central to its legacy. illy coffee will also be served throughout Eataly London and in all three restaurants, as well as on the terrace.

“We are glad to be partners of Eataly, with whom we share the same vision of promoting Made in Italy and high quality, sustainable products, in their first opening in London” says Massimiliano Pogliani, CEO of illycaffè. “As we look to the future with confidence, we hope that this opening can be the first sign of a return to normalcy. We are sure that the illy Grand Caffè will represent an exciting hospitality experience on the London scene, bringing us even closer to our consumers in the United Kingdom, a very important market for our brand”.

Eataly is the only experience of its kind in the capital, offering a unique gastronomic experience that celebrates craftsmanship of high-quality Italian food and produce. The Gran Caffè illy and Eataly market will be open from 7am – 11pm.


Eataly London
135 Bishopsgate, London EC2M 3YD


About illycaffè
illycaffè is an Italian family-owned company, founded in Trieste in 1933. Its mission has always been to offer the best coffee to the world. illycaffè produces a unique 100% Arabica blend, combining 9 of the best varieties in the world, selected by illycaffè: every day 8 million cups of illy coffee are served in over 140 countries around the globe, in the cafés, restaurants and hotels, in single-brand cafés and shops, at home. As a result of its innovations, illycaffè contributes to the coffee technology progress at global level. In 1991, the “Premio Ernesto Illy de qualidade sustentavel do cafè para espresso” was launched in Brazil for quality espresso coffee. illycaffè has contributed to the sharing of the know-how, paying growers a premium price for the best quality selected by illycaffè. Since 2016, with the “Ernesto Illy International Coffee Award”, the company has celebrated coffee growers all over the world that, according to illy, have produced the best sustainable coffee. Since 2013, the company has been in the list of the World Most Ethical Companies. In 2019, it enhanced its commitment to pursue a sustainable business model integrating the interest of people with the environment, adopting the status of Società Benefit (Benefit Company) and adding this commitment into its own bylaws. In 2021, illycaffè was the first Italian company in the coffee sector to obtain the international certification as B Corp as a result of its commitment to comply with the highest standards of social and environmental performance. The company also founded the University of Coffee, which has the objective of sharing culture at all levels, offering a comprehensive and practical training to growers, baristas and coffee lovers. Everything that is “made in illy” is about beauty and art, the founding principles of the brand, starting from its logo, designed by artist James Rosenquist, up to illy Art Collection cups, decorated by over 100 international artists. In 2019, the company had 1405 employees and a turnover of € 520,5 million. There are 269 illy single-brand shops in over 40 countries all over the world. In 2021, Rhone Capital became a minority shareholder of illycaffè with the aim of contributing to the company’s international growth plans.

Massimiliano Petrone
Massimiliano Petrone was born in Turin in 1983 and is one of the most innovative figures in contemporary Italian painting. His work brings together a variety of techniques, constantly experimenting with new styles using oil paint, spray cans and acrylics. In 2015he began a collaboration with illy at the Coffee Cluster for the Milan Expo, experimenting with the usage of coffee in art. This was followed by a renowned illy Art Collection, born from a splash of coffee, and animated with the graphic style of underground comics, and now this bespoke piece for Eataly London.

Eataly
Founded in 2007, Eataly was born in Italy from Oscar Farinetti’s idea to gather high-quality food at sustainable and reasonable prices for all, celebrate Italian biodiversity, and create an informal, natural and simple place to Eat, Shop, Learn, all under one roof.
The name EATALY is a fusion of two words: EAT and ITALY. As a result, Eataly stands for ‘Eating Italian’ which encompasses the history and the food culture of Italy, the ease of preparing Italian dishes, and the many qualities that Italy has to offer.
There are over 40 Eataly stores across 15 countries around the world, with Eataly London being the first one in the UK employing 300 people in London. Eataly.co.uk