The Hungarian inventor behind the world-famous Illy coffee

Did you know that the famous Illy coffee was founded by a Hungarian businessman and inventor? Ferenc Illy was also the first in the world to use vacuum packaging to keep roasted coffee fresh, and his invention, the first automatic coffee machine revolutionised coffee making. His company, illycaffé is over 80 years old, szeretlekmagyarorszag.hu writes.

Ferenc Illy was born on October 7, 1892, in Temesvár (Timișoara), in today’s Romania. At 22, he was conscripted into the Austro-Hungarian army and he served at several fronts during World War I. After the war, he settled in Trieste, Northern Italy, and this is where the story of coffee begins.

Trieste traded mainly in coffee at the time, as well as with tropical fruit, wine, oil, and building materials. Illy found work at companies dealing with cocoa and coffee roasting, and he fell in love with a Trieste woman. His grandson, Andrea Illy wrote that his grandfather had three great loves: Trieste, coffee, and the lovely Doris.

Illy was the first to use vacuum packaging for his coffee. With this method, he ensured that the coffee would retain its freshly roasted quality even after being transported. He also swapped oxygen for nitrogen to preserve the coffee for longer in the hermetically sealed containers.