Francesco Illy

Francesco Illy
Francesco Illy
Born Ferenc Illy
(1892-10-07)October 7, 1892
Temesvár, Austria-Hungary
(now Timișoara, Romania)
Died 1956
Trieste, Italy
Residence Triest, Austria-Hungary
Citizenship Hungarian
Alma mater Temesvári Piarista Gimnázium
Known for founder of illy
inventor of the Illetta (coffemachine)
Board member of CEO Illycaffé
Spouse(s) Vittoria
Children Ernesto
Hedda
Parents
  • János Illy (father)
  • Aloisia Rössler (mother)
Relatives Riccardo Illy (grandson)
Andrea Illy (grandson)

Francesco Illy (Hungarian: Illy Ferenc; 1892, Temesvár, Hungary (now Timișoara, Romania) – 1956, Trieste, Italy) was a Hungarian financial accountant, bookkeeper, business magnate, philanthropist, the founder of illy and inventor of coffee machinery.

Biography

Illy was born to a middle-class family in Temesvár (now Timisoara, Romania). His father, János Illy was a carpenter. His mother, Aloisia Rössler was Danube Swabian. He studied economics in Temesvár. After secondary school he moved to Vienna, where he worked for two big Transylvanian companies. At the age of 22 he was conscripted into the Austro-Hungarian Army, and served from 1914 at almost every front of the First World War, including at the Battle of Kraśnik and the Battles of the Isonzo.

After the war he stayed with his sister in Trieste, where he soon married a Triestine woman. He found work with companies dealing with cocoa and coffee roasting. He later invented his own method for maintaining the quality of freshly roasted coffee so it could be delivered to other locations rather than roasting it on site. He formed a partnership with the local coffee manufacturers Hausbrandt.

In 1933 Illy founded illycaffè,[1] which invented the first automatic coffee machine which substituted pressurized water for steam. The Illetta became the predecessor of today's espresso machine.[2]

His son, the food chemist Ernesto Illy (1925–2008) took over the management of the coffee company, which is now in the hands of the third generation Illys.

References

  1. ↑ Stein, Nicholas (9 December 2009). "Crisis in a Coffee Cup". Fortune magazine. Retrieved 25 April 2009.
  2. ↑ Tagliabue, John (26 December 2006). "Coffeehouses as Fashion Boutiques; Selling Cachet by the Cup". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 April 2009.
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