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Melinda: history
This contribution was written in collaboration with Fernando de Paoli,
it is developed on several pages connected by links as in left menu. You can read it in Italian, English or French.
Production area of Melinda's apples is in "Val di Non" and, by small part in "Val di Sole" both in Trento province, Trentino-Alto Adige region in Nord-Est of Italiy (see map hereinafter)
fruit growing in this area date back to very remote times, for example toponym Malé in "Val di Sole" come from latin "maletum" = apple orchard.
People here grew local varieties, main was 'Renetta' ; after, in 60ies new cultivars where introduced from USA like 'Golden Delicious', followed by 'Stark' or 'Red Delicious' and by 'Morgan'.
'Golden Delicious' cultivar found here a very propitious clima and, in a few time, became the main cultivation.
By reason of a big apples quantity sold with "Val di Non" origin, growers decided to put their apples under a new mark. In this region farmer are used to get together in cooperatives for production and processing.
First trade mark was a bee designed locally.
When this business meet the market success Melinda committed to "Minale and Tattersfield" (change language, search Work-->By Country-->Italy) design elaboration.
Growers (they are more than 5,000) was grouped in 16 cooperatives that, at the beginning, had their own plant for handling and packaging. The letter that we find in Melinda stickers is necessary to identify the productive chain and to know apple's origin that come from 16 cooperatives.
Costs of management was very high so the 13 original plants where gradually reduced to actual seven: Casez (H), Cles (T), Cunevo (F), Denno (A), Revò (N), Taio (D) and Tuenno (G), but, at least for some time, stickers with closed plants letters where used anyway.
People here grew local varieties, main was 'Renetta' ; after, in 60ies new cultivars where introduced from USA like 'Golden Delicious', followed by 'Stark' or 'Red Delicious' and by 'Morgan'.
'Golden Delicious' cultivar found here a very propitious clima and, in a few time, became the main cultivation.
By reason of a big apples quantity sold with "Val di Non" origin, growers decided to put their apples under a new mark. In this region farmer are used to get together in cooperatives for production and processing.
First trade mark was a bee designed locally.
When this business meet the market success Melinda committed to "Minale and Tattersfield" (change language, search Work-->By Country-->Italy) design elaboration.
Growers (they are more than 5,000) was grouped in 16 cooperatives that, at the beginning, had their own plant for handling and packaging. The letter that we find in Melinda stickers is necessary to identify the productive chain and to know apple's origin that come from 16 cooperatives.
| Cooperative / Village | Identification letter | Handling and packaging plant | |
| Originally | Now | ||
| 1) COFSAC - Caldes | C | YES | NO |
| 2) AVN - Casez | H | YES | YES |
| 3) SABAC - Brez | S | YES | NO |
| 4) SCAF - Livo | L | YES | NO |
| 5) TERZA SPONDA - Revò | N | YES | YES |
| 6) C.F.C. - Cles | T | YES | YES |
| 7) COCEA - Taio - Segno | D * | YES | YES |
| 8) FAT - Tuenno | G | YES | YES |
| 9) SARC - Tassullo | I | YES | NO |
| 10) UNIFRUTTA - Nanno | O | YES | NO |
| 11) COBA - Denno | A | YES | YES |
| 12) COL - Sporminore | E | NO | NO |
| 13) CONTA' - Cunevo | F | YES | YES |
| 14) U.F.RALLO - Rallo | R | NO | NO |
| 15) U.F.COREDO - Coredo | P | NO | NO |
| 16) SFC - Campodenno | M | YES | NO |
| * COCEA is born by fusion, at 90's end, between Taio (COPARIT) and Segno (COFCA) Plant. Taio had originally B letter. | |||
Costs of management was very high so the 13 original plants where gradually reduced to actual seven: Casez (H), Cles (T), Cunevo (F), Denno (A), Revò (N), Taio (D) and Tuenno (G), but, at least for some time, stickers with closed plants letters where used anyway.
16 Cooperatives Geographical localization
MAIN STEPS OF MELINDA'S STICKERS
In 1989 Melinda issue first sticker for their apples:a bee.
Sticker was manually applied.
From 1990 to 1992 an oval, smaller sticker was used, the1992 one shows the ®
.
In 1993 first sticker with the final logo Melinda born (with symbol ® of
registered mark) and apple's origin: "Val di Non".
Identification letter is still absent, extremities are rounded, tab is also lacking, it will appear only on 2003.
Identification letter is still absent, extremities are rounded, tab is also lacking, it will appear only on 2003.
Also in 1993 appears the cooperative identification letter (see list above).
In 1997 was printed the first stickers of 'Renetta' cultivar without Melinda logo but with R letter like an apple as in Melinda, firstly without letter and a little later with the identification letter.
In 2000 a succession, during summer, of very violent hailstorm spoil a big part of apple's production and consequently for the non correspondence to quality standards registered the mark "MelaSì®" under which they sell apples with light superficial defects but which maintain all the taste and the pleasant flavour.
In 2000 appear both first label ' Renetta ' with logo Melinda and first label with Plu. In both the mark Melinda is associated with the variety.
Nel 2001 >In 2001 Plu is associated with the label of the cultivar ' Renetta' as for the Golden the year before.
In 2002 there was a very strong production of Royal Gala which ends in
the birth of a specific label for this variety well appreciated by the market. The production is however localized in a single cooperative and thus there is no letter of the cooperative.
In 2003 appears, for the first time, the tab that has no glue and therefore should allow an easier removal of the label before consumption of the fruit. The tab appears in two forms: left and right for 4 common varieties, ie: 'Golden', 'Renetta', 'Red (Delicious)' and 'Royal Gala', all with the Plu code. The tab is present also in label MelaSì but without Plu because it is a generic label that isn't used on a specific variety.
In autumn 2004, one year later of official recognition, farmers celebrate the first harvest of apples with Protected Designation of Origin (D.O.P. in italian). This recognition includes three varieties harvested in the Val di Non ": 'Golden', 'Renetta' e 'Red (Delicious). The recognition of this disciplinary is included in the label with the text: "D.O.P. Mela Val di Non".
In 2005 appear a generic label as the first Melinda with tab.
In 2006 4 new stickers occur, all without area of origin: 'Gala', 'Fuji', MelaSì and a generic label, all with tab and identification letter.
>In 2008 is the time of a MelaSì sticker with "Trentino" as apples origin.
Trentino is the region that includes the "Val di Non" area.
Trentino is the region that includes the "Val di Non" area.
>In 2011 new label for the "Fuji" apples with largest name.
In 2012 new label for the "Gala" apples with largest name.
In 2013 a new label to distinguish lighter color "Red" apples with a lower sugar content. Hence the name "Pink"
In 2014 similar label for apples "Golden" with the name "Green".
Always In 2014 the "Pink" label is issued but with a colored background to distinguish it better from the "Green".
TBetween the end of the 2014 and the beginning of the 2015 is organized a contest; "Golden" labels are printed with a number on the back for participation.
Nel 2014-15 in order to make more readable the name of cultivar "Red", "Golden" and "Fuji" the labels are printed with the name of the cultivar bigger and thicker, the background of the "Red" is changed from dark blue to black.
