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On 19th October 2006 fifteen students and teachers from the College visited the "Illy Caffé"
factory in Trieste to see the blending, roasting and packing of one of the finest espresso coffees
in the world.
The trip was organised by the Economics Society with the aim of increasing awareness of the
economic fundamentals of the region and keeping in touch with "Illy Caffé", a valuable corporate
sponsor of the College.
The visit followed closely on the heels of an interesting and complimentary article about Andrea
Illy, Chief Executive of Illy Caffé, in the Economist (“Head Barista” dated 28th September
2006).
As in previous years, the group was met at the security desk by Barbara Dolenc. She
introduced the group to the guides, three students from the Interpreters' School in Trieste.
The first stop on the tour was the in-house coffee shop to try out an espresso, macchiato or
cappuccino. This was followed by a visit to the viewing balcony of the factory, where a full
set of Illy’s famous cups is displayed alongside early espresso machines. From the balcony,
it is possible to see the bean selection machines, which scan each bean individually, rejecting any
that are sub-standard. The accepted beans are piped into four big roasting ovens before being
blown on a cushion of air to the grinding and packing departments. The tour included the
fully automated packing areas, as well as the chemical analysis laboratories.
Unfortunately, there was a class going on in Illy’s Coffee University, but one of the students
is checking to see if he can attend a short course there in order to learn how to make and serve a
perfect cup of espresso.
During the visit the students learnt that it takes 50 coffee beans to make one cup of espresso.
Illy buys its coffee direct from producers mainly in Latin America. Illy only has one factory
and that is in Trieste, so when ever you see a cup of Illy coffee, the beans were roasted in
Northern Italy, only 30 minutes from the College.
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