Caffee Making as Art: : illycaffè

illycaffè, the family-owned Italian company located in Trieste, produces and sells a unique single blend of premium-quality coffee (i.e., the illy coffee) worldwide. Its blend is sold in more than 140 countries in all continents. In 2015, at the consolidated level, the operating revenue (turnover) was 448,305,897 Euros (+12.98 percent compared to 2014), sales were 437.1 million Euros (+11.85 percent on 2014), net income reached around 3.7 percent of turnover (16,570,614 Euros: +38 percent in comparison with 2014), and employees were 1,177 (+8.58 percent compared to 2014). Exports accounted for more than 60 percent of total sales (Amadeus Database, 2016; illycaffè, 2016a, pp. 6-7 and p. 102; illycaffè, 2016b; Scarci, 2016a, 2016b). Thus, thanks to a real “obsession” for quality, from coffee beans to coffee cups (Illy, 2015a), illycaffè has advanced a winning and innovative business model, which has contributed to radically change the entire coffee sector (Fontevecchia, 2013; Illy, 2015a, p. 91 and p. 203)