Concept

Technology, friendly use, comfort and respect of the environment, to have an espresso at offices, homes and shops, meeting the future needs and choosing in complete freedom.
· E.S.E. is always where the consumer is searching for a good espresso
· E.S.E. helps sales points choose the favourite espresso machine and the favourite serving
· E.S.E. makes the trade operators’ entrepreneurial decisions easier and offers the prospect of an on-going information supply on the market trend and growth opportunities (exhibitions, symposia, promotions)

Profile and history

The Consortium for the Development and the Protection of the E.S.E. Standard
The Consortium is the only forum in the espresso coffee industry that unites both the leading roasters and espresso machine manufacturers at the international level, in the respect of their own and active competitiveness on the market and acting all together inside the Consortium to affirm and develop the offer of the single pre-dosed coffee “system” (the espresso machine and the paper pod together).
Profile of The E.S.E. Consortium
The Consortium for the Development and the Protection of the E.S.E. Standard (Easy Serving Espresso) was formed on 23 February 1998 by seven companies as its founding members (coffee-roasting companies and espresso machine manufacturers). The Consortium is a no-profit organisation, owns, and is responsible for, the collective trademark E.S.E. and promotes the international industrial standard that goes by the same name. It engages in these activities by:
· making the collective E.S.E. trademark known among the industry’s players and consumers, in keeping with the individual commercial brands of the respective members;
· undertaking the necessary communications in the different sectors.

The mission of the E.S.E. Consortium is to develop a frank and open debate among the various participants in the coffee-serving industry (paper, plastic and aluminium filters and capsules), because:
· it is the only forum for contact among the major roasters, machine manufacturers, and retailers in the coffee industry operating at the national and international level;
· it possesses various technical skills and interesting market experiences;
· it aims at promoting the “co-evolution” among the various participants and the different systems.

The Consortium was set up eight years ago in an emerging market characterized by considerable confusion regarding roles and objectives; it is now affirmed, with the E.S.E. trademark, in all the coffee market and nevertheless gaining its own slot.
With 24 members which have assumed its strategic focus, the E.S.E. Consortium has consolidated its institutional role for the entire industry while also helping the E.S.E. industrial standard to establish itself as the benchmark for the international espresso market.

Cycle of life

1996: illycaffè’s intuition, as promoter of the standard
1997: the aggregation of companies interested in the enterprise co-ordination
1998: Consortium’s establishment (7 members)
2000/2002: Authoritativeness of Consortium is strengthened:
· E.S.E. members represent 80% of world-wide espresso machines market share; 40-50% of the serving market is represented in the Association
· The E.S.E. standard supports the production perfectioning and the quality improvement of serving and machines
2003/2004: the E.S.E. standard affirms the worldwide “serving culture” amongst the operators. initial Consortium’s corporate goals are achieved. Major growth of E.S.E. is outside Italy.
2005/2006: The serving market is more and more crowded, diversified, competitive, confused and increasingly profitable. Starting of a new phase for the Consortium too...

...a new opening of the debate about the changes in the coffee market; from the traditional supply of a “simple” raw material (beans or ground), to product/service (the drink ready in the cup).
...a key to reading the coffee market, its immense potential, to define the bases and the systems, be they open or closed ones.

Objectives

The E.S.E. Consortium is a non-profit organisation whose purposes are:
· to safeguard the production and the marketing of E.S.E. servings, espresso machines and serving industrial equipments;
· to ensure a correct usage of the E.S.E. collective trademark;
· to increase the use and encourage the production of the E.S.E. servings, espresso machines dedicated to the use of E.S.E. servings and the serving industrial equipments;
· to encourage improvements in the production and quality of the E.S.E. servings, espresso machines and serving industrial equipments, supplying the Consortium’s members with the necessary instructions and technical assistance;
· to monitor the production and the marketing of the E.S.E. servings, espresso machines and serving industrial equipments;
· to monitor the correct application of the E.S.E. Standard, of the name E.S.E. – Easy Serving Espresso, of the signs and brands pertaining to the Consortium, taking action, including legal one, to prevent from and to stop irregularities and infringement;
· to guarantee to the public that the product bearing the E.S.E. trademark possesses the required features and specifications to comply with the E.S.E. standard as required by the Consortium’s Articles of Association.

Role

As the Body responsible for managing the E.S.E. collective trademark the Consortium shall:
· check correct application to safeguard the end-user (quality and compatibility);
· encourage improvements in the production process and quality improvements in servings and machines;
· ease consumer’s and operator’s choice thanks to a single industrial standard;
· represent a meeting point for all operators;
· provide with appropriate communications tools;
· develop initiatives proposals for promoting the E.S.E. system (machines and servings).

The three areas of activity

Three areas that characterise the E.S.E. Consortium’s life:
1. Institutional management area: maintenance, control and defence of collective trademark and management of Consortium’s institutional activities
2. Member “service” area: collection, management and distribution of information useful for members
3. Communication & promotion area: creation, organisation and management of external information on the E.S.E. standard, on the Consortium, and on its members

Boards of direction

The General Meeting of the Associates represents all associated Members, and its resolutions are binding on all the members. All the members are entitled to speak at the General Meeting and to express their respective (single) vote. The General Meeting is presided over by the Chairman of the Board of Directors.
The Board of Directors is the Consortium’s Executive Body and it has extensive powers to ensure the operation of the Consortium. It is elected by the General Meeting of the Associates and comprises a minimum of three and a maximum of nine members. The Board of Directors, when it is first constituted and each time it is renewed, elects a Chairman and a Deputy Chairman from amongst its Members.

Board of Directors and President

Mario Cerutti, Luigi Lavazza SpA (Counsellor)
Roberto Morelli, illycaffè SpA (President)
Renaud Gey, Groupe Seb (Counsellor)
Franco Guzzi, Cohn & Wolfe (General Director)
Michael McCauley, Cafes Richard (Counsellor)

Board of Control

David Brussa, illycaffè (President)
Vincent Crosville, Cafes Richard (Counsellor)
Paolo Oberti, Lavazza (Counsellor)
Cesare Rapparini, ICA (Counsellor)