illycaffè and the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority sign a collaboration agreement to boost the Ethiopian coffee value chain through training courses dedicated to professionals in the supply chain

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Sep 01, 2023, 10:30 ET

TRIESTE, Italy, Sept. 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- illycaffè, the first Italian coffee company to obtain the B-Corp certification and the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority, a government institution to support, guide, protect and enhance the development of the coffee, tea and spice industry, have signed an agreement that aims to increase coffee quality from the plant to the cup, through training activities that will mainly be held in the Coffee Training Center in Addis Ababa, the first training center of its kind on the entire African continent created in partnership between the Italian Agency for the Development of Cooperation (AICS), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), illycaffè, the Ernesto Illy Foundation and the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority.

The Coffee Training Center aims to meet international quality coffee export standards and promote the training of competent operators who create value in this sector for the country. illycaffè will offer specialized courses to professionals in the supply chain, ranging from regenerative agriculture to coffee roasting, from sensory analysis to the preparation of coffee in the cup, with the aim of improving the production and trade of this important resource for Ethiopia. Growers, exporters, bar managers and baristas will be able to train in the classrooms of the structure or in the field, based on the type of activity proposed.

"Ethiopian coffee is considered to be the best Arabica coffee in the world. Our challenge is to enhance the offer and services of the supply chain, contributing to local economic development - explains Cristina Scocchia, CEO of illycaffè - Through the public-private partnership with the Ethiopian Coffee Tea Authority, we want to create synergies to increase quality and therefore the sustainability of coffee communities. We will act on training that will allow small producers to increase their coffee production capacity and therefore their earnings and exporters and baristas to work with an even higher quality product".

"Ethiopia is not only the land of origin for coffee but also the potential for new flavors is limitless. This unique flavor and very high-quality nature of our coffee is widely known around the globe. So, the commitment and collaboration we made with illycaffè will strengthen our stand in the international market" commented Adugna Debela, General Director of Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority.

Aware that the challenge for a more sustainable world can only be won by joining forces, illycaffè attaches great importance to cooperation between the public and private sectors, with the aim to create economic, social, and environmental value along the coffee supply chain, respecting the individuality and cultural specificities of the suppliers with whom the company works and the environment.

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.

SOURCE illycaffè