The second after the fuel
Coffee is known to mankind for a long time. The first to pay attention to coffee beans Indians of South America - the aborigines of the small homeland of the drink. After the conquest of the New World by Europeans, coffee began to gradually migrate to the other side of the Atlantic. As a result, an invigorating drink from South American berries has become one of the most popular on the planet, taking a worthy place in the same row with the production of tea, wine, and milk.
True, the coffee revolution and the conquest of coffee beans of world domination took more than two hundred years. The attitude of man to coffee has changed, and in this historical process, there are three stages.
In the XIX century, people around the world recognized coffee as an energetic drink that gives cheerfulness. The production of coffee was completely concentrated in the hands of the agrarians. However, the coffee bean market began to emerge, and became one of the so-called commodities.
In the XX century, the army of fans of an invigorating drink captured all the continents. People are divided into those who drink tea, and those who drink coffee. Manufacturing of coffee thus has passed from agricultural producers to large industrialists. Those, in addition to being able to establish the production of raw materials practically on all continents, also engaged in product research, standards development, packaging, and marketing. In addition to the traditional drink - ground coffee beans boiled in steep boiling water, there were different modifications and systems for their preparation and use (espresso, cappuccino, latte and so on).
Finally, the current stage, when the use of coffee drinks trying to impart art form. Accordingly, it is not enough just to produce coffee, it is important to understand the atmosphere of its consumption and to satisfy the client's whimsical taste. In the 21st century, it's fashionable to sort out coffee and not to drink all the slop.
Of course, in addition to aesthetes, there are those who just need caffeine - one of the key ingredients of the drink. They are ready to drink coffee in any form, just to get their “dose” and not to exceed the medically calibrated maximum bar of 400 milligrams per day. But also such consumers, as a rule, any coffee will not drink, preferring, for example, a drink “stronger”. And even such a simplified approach makes companies think. Because, say, in one cup of espresso cooked from “Arabica”, contains about 17 milligrams of caffeine, and in the same cup of robusta is three times more. The tastes of all are different and the need for caffeine - too. Therefore, coffee companies are forced to experiment with blends of both varieties, play with strength, softness, sourness, aroma and a number of other indicators. All this must be taken into account in order to remain competitive.
And finally, another important factor that simultaneously stimulates and frightens market players is its size. Every year, mankind consumes about 161 billion liters of coffee (trillion cups!). At first glance - excellent. A big market, why not work on it. But in practical terms, this means that, in addition to the development of technology, marketing and packaging, it is necessary to constantly invest in the production of raw materials, which are mostly located in the countries of the third world. Since from a kilogram of coffee berries, only 180 grams of green coffee is obtained - the raw material needed for roasting, and only about 20 cups of espresso at the outlet. The average consumer, who drinks three or four cups a day, consumes almost 10 coffee bushes a year. Given that the number of consumers of the drink somehow grows from year to year, producers simply cannot but invest in plantations. And at the same time, it is necessary to closely monitor the prices of raw materials on world exchanges, where speculators have long given coffee second place in popularity after oil futures.
Gentlemen from Trieste
In general, coffee producers, trying to take leading positions in the industry, are very hard. They must constantly maintain a balance between the taste and strength of the drink, as well as the cost of production and the final price. In addition, you need to engage in the promotion of your product. The most difficult is for those who produce real and not instant coffee since in this case, the taste of the beverage comes out in the foreground, which in turn depends on the quality of the raw materials and processing technologies.
In the company Illy, founded in 1933 by the entrepreneur Francesco Illy in the Adriatic Trieste, all this is well understood and much attention is paid to working with recipes and innovations. The company has set up four research centers and 20 coffee universities around the world, the main one of which is located at Illy headquarters in Trieste. The main task of scientific centers is to improve the taste of coffee produced by the company. Currently, the flagship recipe is a blend of nine varieties of Arabica from four continents, carefully selected and balanced. It is also important how the consumer will prepare this coffee. And then the company has something to be proud of: four of the eight principal innovations in the world of coffee last decades belong to Illy. For example, it is the technology of capsule coffee machines.
It is natural that the company opened representative offices in 140 countries. There is a network of cafes, where visitors, of course, offer branded coffee, prepared with proprietary equipment. Now there are more than 200 such establishments all over the world. A cafe is an important part of the marketing strategy, which allows not only to sell the drink but also to accustom the client to new varieties and accompanying novelties.
