illy Launches Experiential Pop-Up in Hudson Yards Centered Around the Whys Behind Its Coffee

The illy Cube pop-up will run from September 29 – October 5 in Hudson Yards

NEW YORK, Sept. 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, illy, a global leader in sustainable quality coffee, unveils a one-week experiential takeover at Hudson Yards in celebration of National & International Coffee Day, allowing consumers the chance to discover the whys behind their coffee. The activation, an extension of illy's global "Why We Make It" campaign, serves as a living expression of illy's commitment to bringing the most exceptional coffee to the world.

The pop-up on the Public Square and Gardens will take visitors on a unique sensory journey, like the one you can experience only at illy's facility in Trieste, Italy. The first part of the experience is dedicated to aroma, with an illy expert who will invite people to discover and smell the aromatic notes of all 17 ingredients that make illy's coffee unique. The illy Cube pop-up brings the illy experience all the way from Italy to New York City – allowing consumers to explore why illy coffee is crafted the way it is, why it matters, and why it resonates with coffee lovers worldwide.

From there, visitors will interact with a Cube Wall, where each cube contains a symbolic element from the illy world: a coffee bean, an Arabica plant, the iconic cup, or the tasting spoon. The cubes will allow consumers to learn more about the whys behind illy's coffee through impactful storytelling, highlighting the journey from the bean to the cup via the brand's five signature claims, each of which are dedicated to a specific stage of the production process. These claims include:

1. Selection - ONLY 1 BEAN OUT OF 100 MAKES THE CUT.
2. Blending - WE KEEP CHANGING SO YOUR COFFEE NEVER DOES.
3. Roasting - THREE ROASTS. ALWAYS BALANCED. NEVER CHARRED - UNLIKE YOUR USUAL SUSPECTS. ROASTED (IN ITALY).
4. Pressurization - WE PERFORM WELL ONLY UNDER PRESSURE-IZATION. 
5. Sip - THE FIRST SIP IS NEVER THE LAST. BUT THE LAST SIP IS JUST LIKE THE FIRST.

The illy Cube experience concludes by giving visitors a complimentary beverage of their choice of illy's coffee, available in: Classico & Arabica Selection Brasile Certified by Regenagri. There will also be two signature drinks, the illy Almond Rose Latte and the illy Vanilla Clove Latte, that are odes to some of the distinct aromas in the illy blend.

"Since the brand's inception in 1933, illy has held itself to rigorous standards to ensure our coffee is the highest quality possible," said Cristian Arcangeli, Vice President of Marketing and Commercial Strategy at illy North America. "It is our intention that this pop-up will offer an immersive experience, guiding consumers to engage in all five senses and discover illy's commitment to quality, as demonstrated by our five signature claims."

In addition to the illy Cube experience, illy's global "Why We Make It" campaign will feature social content from culinary content creator and longstanding illy partner Maddy DeVita. Maddy has explored the "why" behind illy — why it's made the way it is, why it matters, and why it connects with coffee lovers around the world by traveling to Trieste, Italy, for a first-hand experience of seeing how illy makes their coffee, which she will be sharing with her audience.

To further celebrate the pop-up launch, illy will be hosting a workout class led by health and wellness founder Melissa Wood-Tepperberg on Wednesday, October 1 from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. at Edge at Hudson Yards.

Consumers can visit the illy Cube pop-up in Hudson Yards' Public Square and Gardens from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Friday 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. starting Monday, September 29 through Sunday, October 5. For more information on illy's five signature claims, please visit www.illy.com.

About illy
illy is an Italian family-owned company, founded in Trieste in 1933 which has always set itself the mission of offering the best coffee to the world. It produces a unique 100% Arabica blend composed of 9 different ingredients. The company selects only 1% of the best Arabica beans. Every day more than 10 million cups of illy coffee are served in over 140 countries around the globe, in the cafés, restaurants and hotels, in single-brand cafés and shops, at home and in the office, in which the company is present through subsidiaries and distributors.

Since its foundation, illy has oriented its strategies towards a sustainable business model, commitment that it strengthened in 2019 by adopting the status of Benefit Company and in 2021 becoming the first Italian coffee company to obtain the international B Corp certification. Everything that is "made in illy" is about beauty and art, the founding principles of the brand, starting from its logo, designed by artist James Rosenquist, up to illy Art Collection cups, decorated by over 135 international artists, or coffee machines designed by internationally renowned designers. With the aim of spreading the culture of quality to growers, baristas and coffee lovers, the company has developed its Università del Caffè which today holds courses in 24 countries around the world. In 2024, the company had a turnover of €630 million. The illy single-brand network has 157 points of sale in 28 countries.

SOURCE illycaffè