illycaffè and Barcolana powered by Generali: beauty and inclusiveness at the heart of the 55th edition

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Oct 02, 2023, 09:00 ET

TRIESTE, Italy, Oct. 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The 55th Barcolana powered by Generali sailing regatta, the world's largest, is about to kick off in Trieste on October 8, 2023. Once again, the event is partnered with illycaffè, the global leader in high-quality sustainable coffee, which supports it both to celebrate the beauty of illycaffè's city of origin and to convey universally shared values such as sustainability, inclusiveness, and women's empowerment.

illycaffè's commitment has been clear since the creation of one of Barcolana's key symbols, its official poster. For over 20 years, illycaffé has been in charge of its artistic direction, and every year the company selects an artist to embody the regatta's theme as best as possible. Thanks to its deep ties with the world of contemporary art, illycaffè successfully brings together two apparently distant worlds – art and sport – in a perfect convergence of shared values and goals aiming at achieving ever greater social inclusion.

In 2023 this alliance was embodied by the U.S. artist Judy Chicago, a pioneer of the Feminist Art Movement, who is celebrating the event by transforming into sails the petals that for the last fifty years have represented femininity and natural beauty in her art. In doing so, she shows how art and sport can set a common goal of awareness raising, working together to issue a strong call on behalf of the role of women in society and inclusive sports.
The poster is inspired by the 4 illy Art Collection cups designed by Judy Chicago for illycaffè: a vivid and vibrant palette illustrates the transition from the social restrictions traditionally imposed on women towards a place of cultural and creative freedom. It depicts famous women from various historical periods – the Queen of France Marie Antoinette; the novelist, philosopher, and political essayist Madame de Staël; the feminist author George Sand, and the writer Virginia Woolf.

"We are proud to be supporting Barcolana once again this year. This event represents a universe of values, with sustainability and inclusiveness first and foremost, that we fully embrace, a common ground in which we are both deeply rooted" says Cristina Scocchia, CEO of illycaffè. "And we are even happier to do so through an artistic gesture: a poster and a collection of cups that leverage the creativity of great artists to embody these messages and convey them to the entire world through images, shapes, and colours".

illycaffè is an Italian family-owned company, founded in Trieste in 1933 which has always set itself the mission of offering the best coffee to the world. It produces a unique 100% Arabica blend composed of 9 different ingredients. The company selects only 1% of the best Arabica beans in the world. 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 and in the office, in which the company is present through subsidiaries and distributors.
Since its foundation, illycaffè has oriented its strategies towards a sustainable business model, commitment that it strengthened in 2019 by adopting the status of Benefit Company and in 2021 becoming the first Italian coffee company to obtain the international B Corp certification. Since 2013 the company is also one of the World Most Ethical Companies. 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 125 international artists, or coffee machines designed by internationally renowned designers. With the aim of spreading the culture of quality to growers, baristas and coffee lovers, the company has developed its Università del Caffè which today holds courses in 25 countries around the world. In 2021, Rhône Capital became a minority shareholder of illycaffè with the aim of contributing to the company's international growth plans.

In 2022, the company had 1230 employees and a turnover of €567,7 million. The illy single-brand network has 190 points of sale in 34 countries.

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SOURCE illy