I write this today with profound sadness combined with some tears. As I walked into the office today my son Matt told me about Dr. illy’s passing. The shock still has not set in as at this writing I have had only minutes to attempt to process the news.

My personal association and that of Bellissimo… goes back many many years. When I entered this industry I used his philosophy and his benchmarks for coffee as the Bible of what was right and wrong. He was my ultimate teacher and mentor.

I was so lucky that I had the chance to actually spend quality amounts of time with him over the years. What he did for me personally – for both my growth and passion cannot be summed up in a simple blog. There is no way I can even try to explain why I would never be where I am today in coffee without the encouragement and the standards set by this one of a kind man.

I was asked to introduce him many years ago in Seattle at a special small dinner of about a hundred invitees… an honor I am humbled by. Before this… when edition one of “Espresso101” was ready for release or re-editing I sent him a copy and he told me he had watched it three times and said he appreciated what this film would do to further proper education around the world. For me it is a conversation I will never forget. He came by my trade show booth on numerous occasions and ask if we could sit down and discusses espresso in America. He once brought a contingency of men into my booth at a SCAA show and proceeded to wax poetic about what we (Bellissimo) had done for the industry. I was so humbled. The pride I felt after this experience and the respect he showed me over the years is truly one of the reasons I forged on. I cannot tell you how many times I would think… “What would Dr. illy do in this situation?”
I looked at him as a man that possessed so many attributes… someone I wanted to learn from and somehow capture just a fraction of his essence -allowing me to be a better human being and a greater servant to specialty coffee.

He flew one time on a few days notice to Milan to allow us to film him and produce what I believe is the ultimate definitive film and interview with him. I remember so vividly having breakfast with him at the Four Seasons Hotel before the shoot and asking him so respectfully… to try and answer the questions as though he was speaking to a high school student that had not taken chemistry and physics… he smiled and understood. The interview that we will now re-release (that was already in progress) turned out to be so amazing and so insightful – Ernesto so truly got it! He understood every aspect of coffee and retail… but most of all life. He is that rare individual and no one person can ever fill the void he now leaves.

Over the past couple of years I have thought so many times how I wish I could have just one more hour in the presence of this man… and I worried that news such as today’s would come in and I would know this now… will never happen. So I just am thankful and so appreciative that I did have the honor to have the time that I did have and count that as a blessing.

The last time we were together was when we were both speaking in Boca at the NCA convention. On the final evening waiting together in the large lobby outside the room our dinner was to take place… he ask me if I could work it out so that we sat together for the gala dinner. Each time something like this happened I would be so humbled and almost shocked that someone I held in the highest esteem in some small way considered me his friend.

None of us know what the future afterlife brings but I pray somewhere someday he and I can have a great espresso together. Dr illy – I will miss you so.