Two significant reasons lie behind the customary visit to the Illy coffee factory that the College organises each year for its Economics students. There are solid ties between the Illy family and the College: Anna Illy is a member of the College’s board of Directors and sponsors one of our students every year (this is the second year that Ahmed Hussein from Kenya has benefited from this opportunity). Secondly, Illy is one of the most successful privately-held companies based in Trieste, with a brand name that is recognised in over 140 countries around the world. It makes a premium brand expresso coffee, with all of its production coming from its one factory in the port area of Trieste. The Illy organisation has an annual turnover of approximately EUR 400 million, with the majority of that coming from overseas sales.
The visit that took place on April 13th could only have started by the UWC Adriatic group enjoying a cup of espresso or a cappuccino, made even more special by the unique coffee cups designed by Matteo Thun for Illy in 1991. Our 21 students were then divided in three groups and were taken on the tour by Francesca, Miranda, Annalisa, Eleonora and Elena, who illustrated the history and the production process of this major Italian coffee producer. The students were highly impressed by the quality laboratories, where day after day a team of experts continuously monitors the aroma, taste and quality of the coffee beens that are imported on a daily basis from central America, Brasil, Kenia and Ethiopia, in order to be roasted in Trieste.
The teacher supervisors involved were Malcolm Price and Marek Hlavac and at the end of the visit Marek commented “The visits to the Illy factory in Trieste afforded our economics students a unique opportunity to connect some of the abstract economic theory they learn about in the classroom to its real-world applications. For instance, our students were able to see up close the many stages of the coffee production process, all the way from sourcing the coffee beans on plantations to the final packaging, distribution and marketing stages. As such, the visit allowed them to think more deeply about a variety of economic issues related to economic production, international trade and environmental sustainability”.
