Appointment of Jack Edwards as President of illycaffè’s North American business comes as the Italian coffee roaster seeks to expand its retail coffee and coffee shop presence across the US after selling a minority stake to Rhône Capital in February 2020
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In October 2020, illycaffè announced it would sell a 20% stake in its family-owned business to US investment firm Rhône Capital to facilitate a major push into the US coffee market
Illycaffè has announced the appointment of Jack Edwards as President of its North America business. Edwards has nearly two decades’ experience with alcohol beverage giant Diageo and most recently served as Senior Vice President of Sales and National Accounts for The Digeo Beer Company USA.
“Jack's broad and deep skillset, commitment to excellence, comprehensive understanding of consumers, knowledge of the premium beverage industry, and record of leading strategic growth are ideally suited to our North American business, which is poised for expansion among coffee lovers across all channels," said Massimiliano Pogliani, CEO, illycaffè. "His extensive experience, combined with his sharp leadership acumen, are aligned to successfully realise illy's long-term plans,” he added.
The appointment comes as illycaffè embarks on significant global expansion. In October 2020, illycaffè
announced it would sell a 20% stake in its family-owned business to US investment firm Rhône Capital as it sought to ramp up international expansion, particularly in the US. The value of the deal was reported to be in excess of €200m ($237m).
In April 2021, illycaffè
met the criteria for B Corp certification, scoring 80.6 points to become the first Italian coffee company to attain the coveted sustainability and ethical accreditation. The Trieste-based coffee roaster has also unveiled ambitious sustainability goals, pledging carbon neutrality by 2033 and aiming to eliminate 175 tons of plastic per year from its global operations.