illycaffè

My guest today is bringing the luxury playbook to one of the most commoditized industries in the world.

Cristian Arcangeli is the vice president of marketing, commercial strategy, and digital at Illycaffè America.

With experience spanning Illycaffè, Gucci, Diesel, and more, he has built a career across food and beverage, luxury fashion, retail, and digital commerce.

And his international experience extends across America, Europe, and China.

Illy is an Italian coffee brand founded in Trieste in 1933, where it still roasts all of its coffee today.

Thank you very much, Carlotta, for having me.

It's great to be here.

I am especially excited to talk about world-building and a universe around a brand, because I think what you're doing, uh, for Illycaffè is truly a masterclass for so many brands on how to bring what could be considered a CPG brand, um, as an actual luxury feeling and luxury pleasure to be able to consume and also to play and interact with, and to feel different, uh, emotions around.

I've been drinking cold brew lately.

I went to order a cold brew, and the person working there, I kind of, like, danced around this online because I didn't want the Cake Bake Shop to see it, but I went to order it and they were like, "Don't do it." And I was like, "What?" And they were like, "Don't get the cold brew." And I'm like, "Why?" I was like, "Why is it $13?" And they were like, "It's in a can." It was literally, like, an Illy...

You know what? I'm gonna Google it and see how much it is in normal world.

Cold brew.

It was Illy brand canned cold brew.

Right now through Instacart, I can get it for $3.49. Cake Bake Shop had it for 13.

I don't know why.

So they, they do have a little bit different flavor.

Um, Illy, which is, you know, again, widely distributed in the US, they really kind of push the whole, um, 100% Arabica, and now they do, like, their special mono origine, um, production as well where, you know, all of the beans are from just Ethiopia or just Colombia or what have you.

Um, but that, say, isn't necessarily typical of what you find in your normal espresso bar in Italy.

Really interesting.

So I tend to drink Illy, and now I'm just curious, um...

Well, I feel like whatever you and your husband are drinking in your house has to be [laughs] well-researched.

Like, I'm curious, uh, what is it that you two like, and do you like the same things? Maybe you don't.

Okay.

Then later, something special brewing on National Coffee Day.

A visit to the Illy Cafe headquarters.

This facility is big like

six soccer fields.

Right here, baby.

Just ahead, our consumer expert, Vicki Wynn, answering your questions on everything from those annoying spam calls to do we really need travel insurance? Then later, I really had to pour myself into this story.

A look at how Illy Cafe brings a taste of Italy.

He went to Italy for four days.