Plantations
The most valuable species:
Coffea arabica
The beginning of our journey through the plantations starts right here: the coffee plant.
Arabica is the most prized species, because being very delicate, it needs an environment with specific geographical and climatic characteristics to grow and maintain its sweet and strongly aromatic taste. The Robusta, on the other hand, produces a much less aromatic coffee than that prepared with Arabica, and is characterized by a marked bitter taste.
This is why we at Illy have always chosen to use exclusively Arabica for our coffee, selecting the 9 finest Arabica beans in the world.
Knowledge and cooperation: illy's value chain
In order to offer you a coffee with the best organoleptic characteristics, you need to start from the knowledge of the raw material and from a relationship of trust and cooperation with those who transform a simple coffee bean into a taste experience. Our value chain starts with farmers, agronomists, technicians and researchers, establishing a relationship of trust and respect with them so as to build together a real community and culture of excellence.
To each country its own coffee
Our coffee comes from different territories in terms of geographic, climatic and crop types. The 9 finest Arabica beans we have selected come from the Coffee Belt, that is the geographical area between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, which crosses countries with tropical climates.
Central and Latin America
e characterized by a light, sweet Arabica coffee with acid notes produced with manual cultivation and harvesting techniques. In Guatemala, for example, we find a very sweet coffee characterized by notes of chocolate.
Asia
where Arabica production is concentrated mainly in Indonesia and India, produces a full-bodied coffee with a hint of positive bitterness and a spicy aroma.
AFRICA
more precisely Ethiopia, the birthplace of this plant, offers one of the most characteristic coffees in the world thanks to its floral aromas and scents of jasmine, orange blossom and chamomile. Kenya, on the other hand, while producing less coffee than other countries, offers an Arabica of the highest quality thanks to its temperate and constant climate.
South America
where Brazil is recognized as the country that produces the largest amount of coffee in the world. The taste of this coffee, with a balance between acid and bitter, is characterized by unmistakable notes of caramel and dried fruit. In second place we find Colombia, with almost 12 million bags per year, covering about 10% of the world production of Arabica. The flavor of this coffee is sweet and delicate.
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