Premium Italian coffee brand illy is launching a major summer marketing push across London, spanning experiential activity, foodie collaborations and out-of-home advertising, as it looks to reinforce its premium positioning and sustainability credentials with UK consumers.
The campaign will see illy partner with brands including luxury sustainable fashion brand Anya Hindmarch and prestigious Italian gelato company Badiani, alongside its fourth consecutive year as headline coffee sponsor of Taste of London (17 to 21 June).
The activity begins on 1 June with a targeted out-of-home campaign running throughout the month, upweighted in the Regent’s Park area to support Taste of London with activity timed to capture key morning coffee occasions. Digital sites within a 5km radius of the festival, including on London Underground, will showcase illy’s 100% Arabica blend and regenerative farming practices.
The campaign will also feature large-format advertising on London buses to extend reach across the capital, leading with a creative that celebrates illy’s commitment to sustainability.
Alongside the media activity, illy is rolling out a series of limited-edition food collaborations designed to tap into growing consumer demand for premium and experiential food and drink events.
In partnership with gelato brand Badiani, illy will launch a limited-edition affogato at Badiani’s 12 stores across the capital from 22 June. The product combines Badiani’s exceptional vanilla gelato with illy’s 100% Arabica velvety smooth espresso. The special will be served in an edible cup made of wheat and water, which is vegan, biodegradable and lasts one hour, bringing to life the brand’s commitment to sustainability.
illy is also uniting with luxury sustainable fashion brand Anya Hindmarch as part of the 2026 Ice Cream Project, taking place in the Anya Café in Belgravia. An illy espresso ice cream flavour will feature at the pop-up at The Village Hall on Pont Street from 5 June to 16 August, alongside the famed project’s broader range of unconventional ice cream flavours.
For Taste of London illy continues it’s collaboration with green Michelin-starred chef Chantelle Nicholson, of Apricity in Mayfair, who will serve up recipes that demonstrate delicious sustainable ways to use waste coffee grounds including within a vinaigrette for an Italian burrata dressed salad and also creating a coffee crusted topping for an affogato using waste coffee grounds. illy will also host a coffee masterclass with experts from its Università del Caffè as well as serving up the Badiani affogato and original serve Espresso Martinis made to inventor Dick Bradsell’s famous recipe from 1985.
The campaign will culminate in a celebration marking 10 years of the illy Caffé in South Kensington by offering FREE special serve of Regenerative Oat Cold Foam. The week-long event kicks off on the 22nd June and activates the company’s commitment to sustainable principles, held since it was founded in 1933, by turning a special serve fully regenerative for the week – and offering it for free to all café guests. The serve will use illy Arabica Selection Brasile Cerrado Mineiro Coffee Beans, regenerative milk and plant-based milk alternatives from Minor Figures.
Marcello Canetti, Managing Director UK & IE at illy, said: “At illy, our focus has always been on delivering the highest-quality Italian coffee experience sustainably. Partnering with premium brands with aligning principles at their core, such as Anya Hindmarch and Badiani, allows us to connect with consumers through shared values around craftsmanship, quality and food culture.
“Together with our continued presence at Taste of London, these activations are designed to reinforce illy’s position as the premium coffee brand for consumers seeking elevated food and drink experiences.”
