In an era where consumer attention spans are shrinking and brand loyalty is harder to earn, experiential marketing has become the secret weapon for food and beverage companies looking to cut through the noise. Italian coffee giant illy just proved this point with their ambitious “illy Cube” pop-up at Hudson Yards in New York City: a week-long immersive experience that’s redefining how coffee brands connect with consumers.
Running from September 29 through October 5, 2025, this isn’t your typical coffee sampling booth. Instead, illy has created what they call a “living expression” of their commitment to exceptional coffee, bringing the full sensory experience of their Trieste, Italy facility directly to one of Manhattan’s busiest destinations.
The Science Behind the Sensory Journey
The illy Cube experience begins with something most coffee drinkers never think about: aroma education. Guided by illy experts, visitors discover the 17 distinct aromatic ingredients that create illy’s signature blend. This isn’t just marketing fluff: it’s a masterclass in how premium food and beverage brands can educate consumers about quality differentiation.
“Since the brand’s inception in 1933, illy has held itself to rigorous standards to ensure our coffee is the highest quality possible,” explains 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.”
The interactive Cube Wall takes this education further, with each cube containing symbolic elements from illy’s world: coffee beans, Arabica plants, iconic cups, and tasting spoons. But here’s where it gets smart: each element tells the story of illy’s five signature claims, creating a narrative journey from bean to cup.
Breaking Down illy’s Five Signature Claims
What makes this activation particularly valuable for food and beverage professionals is how illy has codified their quality standards into five memorable claims that guide consumers through their production process:
1. Selection: “Only 1 Bean Out of 100 Makes the Cut”
This claim immediately establishes exclusivity and quality standards: a powerful positioning strategy that premium F&B brands can adapt across categories.
2. Blending: “We Keep Changing So Your Coffee Never Does”
Here’s a brilliant way to communicate consistency through adaptation, showing how they maintain flavor profiles despite seasonal variations in coffee beans.
3. Roasting: “Three Roasts. Always Balanced. Never Charred”
This directly addresses common coffee complaints while positioning their Italian roasting expertise as superior to competitors.
4. Pressurization: “We Perform Well Only Under Pressure-ization”
A clever play on words that explains their nitrogen preservation process while adding personality to a technical feature.
5. Sip: “The First Sip is Never the Last. But the Last Sip is Just Like the First”
This promise of consistent quality from start to finish addresses a key consumer pain point with coffee experiences.
Strategic Partnerships and Amplification
What elevates this activation beyond a simple brand experience is illy’s strategic partnership approach. They’ve enlisted culinary content creator and long-time partner Maddy DeVita to share her journey to Trieste, Italy, creating authentic social content that extends the campaign’s reach far beyond Hudson Yards.
Additionally, illy hosted a special workout class with health and wellness founder Melissa Wood-Tepperberg at Edge at Hudson Yards on October 1st, perfectly timed for National Coffee Day. This crossover appeal to the wellness community demonstrates how food and beverage brands can expand their audience by partnering with complementary lifestyle brands.
The Premium Beverage Experience
The pop-up concludes with complimentary tastings of illy’s Classico and Arabica Selection Brasil Certified by Regenagri coffees, along with two signature drinks: the illy Almond Rose Latte and illy Vanilla Clove Latte. These specialty beverages showcase specific aromatic notes from illy’s blend, turning product features into experiential moments.
For beverage industry professionals, this approach offers a template for turning technical specifications into consumer-friendly experiences. Rather than simply listing flavor notes, illy creates drinks that embody these characteristics, making the abstract tangible.
Lessons for Food and Beverage Brands
The illy Cube represents several key trends that food and beverage companies should consider:
Experiential Over Transactional: Instead of focusing solely on sales, illy prioritized education and experience, building deeper brand connections that drive long-term loyalty.
Storytelling Through Structure: The five signature claims create a memorable framework that consumers can easily understand and share, turning complex production processes into compelling brand stories.
Location Strategy: Hudson Yards attracts both locals and tourists, maximizing exposure while targeting premium consumers who align with illy’s positioning.
Multi-Sensory Engagement: By involving aroma, touch, taste, and visual elements, illy creates more memorable experiences than traditional sampling alone.
The Broader Industry Context
This activation comes at a crucial time for the coffee industry, where consumers are increasingly sophisticated about quality and origin stories. According to recent industry data, premium coffee segments continue outpacing mass market growth, making brand differentiation more critical than ever.
illy’s approach also reflects broader trends in food and beverage marketing, where authenticity and transparency resonate more than traditional advertising. By bringing their Italian facility experience to New York, they’re demonstrating rather than claiming their commitment to quality.
The timing around National and International Coffee Day creates natural media hooks and social sharing opportunities, while the one-week duration creates urgency without overwhelming resources.
Sustainability Meets Experience
Notably, illy’s emphasis on their Regenagri certified coffee highlights how sustainability messaging can be woven into experiential marketing. Rather than treating environmental responsibility as a separate marketing pillar, they’ve integrated it into the core product experience.
This integration reflects growing consumer expectations that premium food and beverage brands should lead on sustainability without compromising quality or experience. For F&B professionals, this demonstrates how environmental initiatives can enhance rather than constrain brand positioning.
The Hudson Yards activation represents more than just a coffee promotion: it’s a blueprint for how food and beverage brands can create meaningful connections in an increasingly crowded marketplace. By focusing on education, experience, and authenticity, illy has created a model that other premium F&B companies can adapt across categories.
For restaurant owners and hospitality leaders, the key takeaway isn’t necessarily to create elaborate pop-ups, but to think about how your brand story can be made tangible and memorable for customers. Whether it’s through ingredient sourcing stories, preparation techniques, or origin narratives, the opportunity exists to turn every customer interaction into an educational and engaging experience.
As the food and beverage industry continues evolving toward premium, authentic, and experiential offerings, activations like the illy Cube point toward the future of brand marketing: one where quality claims are demonstrated, not just declared.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine’s “Top 40 Under 40” for founding American Wholesale Floral. Politz is also the founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
