Market

Melinda and La Trentina: a performing synergy

Union makes us stronger. Melinda was founded on this concept. Working in team helps achieve better performances for all the players involved, for the territory and for end consumers. This is why the two most important apple farming organizations in Trentino, have signed this important partnership.

A Partnership that optimizes the management of Trentino apples

A shared organization for product distribution, sales and management. This is the reason why Melinda and La Trentina signed their partnership in 2017.  A new horizon for the region’s fruit-farming business with many advantages for the companies, the farmers and for consumers: increased value for both brands, improved sales and service management, optimization of internal resources. In addition, this new synergy allows the redefinition of both company’s range of fruit, improving quality and production sustainability. More opportunities to enhance local production and widen their presence on the marketplace.

Melinda, La Trentina and APOT

Melinda Consortium is formed by the over 4000 families of member-farmers, divided in 16 cooperatives that globally work approximately 6700 hectares of apple orchards in the Non and Sole Valleys in Trentino. Melinda produces over 400,000 tons of apples per year, approximately 20% of Italian production, with 1300 employees, and a 250 million euro billing.

Today, La Trentina has approximately 1200 members, distributed in five cooperatives grouped into the “Cinque Comuni” Consortium, producing 57,000 tons of apples per year, cultivating 1200 hectares of land with 250 workers and a 31 million euro billing.

The agreement between Melinda Consortium and La Trentina Consortium has merged in APOT (Association of Fruit and Vegetable Producers from Trentino) the organization that markets both Melinda apples produced in the Non and Sole Valleys, and La Trentina apples grown in the other Trentino valleys.

Certified quality

Certification and Quality are two inseparable terms. In order to be credible, the commitment of companies towards quality products and services must be accurately described, governed by specific standards and procedures and subjected to systematic checks by certifying bodies recognised and qualified by the competent authorities to carry out certifications.

Some certification processes refer to the product itself others to the different conditioning and/or processing stages that the product undergoes.

Product Certifications

These certifications aim to attest to the compliance of the product with certain characteristics and/or specifics. They represent one of the most important assessment elements for comparing different foodstuff before purchase while using objective parameters established and controlled by an independent third party body.

Product Certifications obtained by Melinda

  1. Integrated Production this certification attests that Melinda apples are grown in compliance with the standards laid down by the Integrated Production Guidelines that govern every aspect of farming – from water use for irrigation, to plant diseases control utilizing natural means or with agrochemicals chosen for their very favourable eco-toxicological profile.
  2. DOP, or PDO in English, Protected Designation of Origin. This certifies that Melinda apples with this marking have been grown, stored and packaged exclusively in their zone of origin and it guarantees that the fruits meet the chemical and physical standards set by the DOP Guidelines (crispness, sugar content, natural acid level, etc.).
  3. Global-GAP: this certification attests that Melinda apples are grown in compliance with international standards recognized as Good Agricultural Practices, which cover every aspect of farming, from respect for the soil, correct management of irrigation water, protection of the environment, operator welfare and safety, etc.

Process Certifications

These certifications attest the quality of the processes used by the suppliers of foodstuffs for the use and benefit of all potential stakeholders (e.g. clients, consumers and their associations, public bodies, schools, hospitals, canteens, etc.), certifying the suppliers’ ability to produce safe food using safe processes that comply with the contract terms and legal requisites. The certifications guarantee that the products they refer to have been produced in compliance with the established quality standards and meet the required requisites.

They list in detail the specifications of the foodstuff for the producer company:

  • production environments,
  • personnel behaviour standards,
  • processing methods.

Process Certifications obtained by Melinda

  • UNI EN ISO 9001:2000 certification (today in the 9001:2008 version), obtained by Melinda in 2001. This entails that all the storage, processing and sales procedures must be subject to strict, periodic controls by the CSQA, a certifying body member of CISQ and IQNet, specialized in the agricultural and agro-food sector and accredited by the MIPAAF.
  • BRC (since 1st January 2008 GSFS) and IFS obtained by Melinda in 2003. The GSFS Standard (Global Standard for Food Safety) was developed in England in 1998 by the British Retail Consortium and represents an important model today used by the Large-scale retail trade in many countries in Northern Europe, while the IFS Standard (International Food Standard) corresponds to the GSFS for countries in Central Europe (Austria, Switzerland, France and Germany).
  • Ethical Standard: underway. The objective is to certify Melinda packaging centres as suitable to be supplier of the largest distribution chain in the world (Wall-Mart)