Illycaffè plans U.S. coffeehouse expansion: WSJ

In a bid to build greater awareness of its coffee brand, Italy’s Illycaffè SpA is reportedly planning to add a dozen Illy Caffès to its 20 existing coffeehouses in operation in the U.S., according to a story in The Wall Street Journal.

One issue with the plan, the newspaper noted, is American coffee tastes favor large, sweetened coffee drinks, rather than small cups of espresso in which Illy specializes.

Part of Gruppo Illy SpA, Illycaffè was founded in Trieste in 1933 and is owned by the Illy family. It claims to be the world's most global coffee brand.

As part of its U.S. expansion plan, Gruppo Illy sold a 20% stake in Illycaffè to Rhone Capital LLC, a New York-based private-equity firm, earlier this year.