Visit

The territory of Melinda

Visit with us the land where apples and farmers share the same genuine, wholesome and strong environment, and have the same healthy red cheeks.

A paradise made of sun and water

The Noce Valleys in Trentino (Non and Sole Valleys) are surrounded by mountain chains which protect these valleys from the cold North winds, providing a mild and sunny climate. The glaciers on the top of the mountains offer fresh and pure water for irrigation, even in the summer season. Winter is covered by heavy snow, while the rains arrive in the late autumn and spring and the dry season coincides with the period of growth, ripening and harvest. This favourable sequence of events generates good, healthy and fresh products. The apples that grow in this region have a sweeter and fresher taste.

The taste of the Dolomites

During the harvesting period the Non Valley, the largest valley in Trentino, is characterized by strong variations of the daily temperatures (even 15°C), which favour a rich colouring of the skin and a fresh consistency of the pulp. The rocky land of the valley running under the Brenta Dolomites – World Heritage Site by UNESCO – is mainly constituted by the Dolomite rock. This type of rock is what makes our apples so crunch and so tasty.

All the colours of the Non Valley

At the end of the winter, the white snow that covers and protects the roots of our apple trees, leaves the stage to the white coloured apple blossoms that give a wonderful scent to the whole valley. When the wind blows the white petals look like a snowstorm in springtime. In the summer, the fruits start turning into their final shades of colour giving off their delicious aroma. In autumn, the leaves release the sun they have gathered in the previous months. They start turning yellow and then red, just like our Melinda apples. Ready to be tasted and enjoyed.

A wonderful human landscape

Over the years, our hardworking people have contributed in making our Non Valley so special. They have changed the destiny of their territory, transforming it into a garden. Whether by foot or on a mountain bike, you will certainly enjoy the beauty of this land. You can enjoy the romantic Tovel Lake or the beautiful Lago Smeraldo (Emerald Lake), the Lake of Santa Giustina or the Noce river, where ancient sanctuaries, hermitages and castles are the living proof of a long-dating history. If you are a sporty person, you can enjoy a ski holiday on the ski slopes or a walk in the snowy woods with snowshoes. Our mountain lodges and chalets have wonderful restaurants that are waiting for you, with their warm atmosphere and traditional food and wine.

The apple production chain

«The plants we use to grow our apples are not very big – explains Mr Michele Odorizzi, President of Consortium Melinda – but they can yield up to 20 kg of apples all in one harvest. The trees live approximately 15 to years then they are substituted. Farmers rotate the plants, in order to have young and old trees in same moment, therefore guaranteeing a constant yield».

To obtain PDO apples, with the right weight and quality, the farmer must protect every day his apple trees from freezes or storms, but the truly difficult part comes in spring and summer. Every plant produces a series of buds, each made of six flowers. The farmer must prune the tree, and this phase continues even when the first fruits are coming out. «The farmer, – continues Odorizzi – thanks to his experience, knows which fruit must be kept and which pieces must be eliminated, for a better result».

tullio dalmeleto

From the orchard to you

When you buy a pack of Melinda apples, have you ever asked yourself how can they be so similar? As you can imagine, they don’t grow all of the same size. Here is how things actually go.

In October, during harvest season, farmers put all the ripened apples inside containers called “bins”, and bring them to their cooperative.

After this, all the apples are brought into one of the 7 working rooms of the Consortium. The first selection is done here, by hand. All the badly spotted apples are given to the juice industry, for fruit juices or liqueurs. The good ones go on in their journey, where a device takes up to 40 different pictures to establish the weight, size and colour of each piece of fruit. According to the type of result, every single apple is destined to a different line, together with its “twin” apples.

For this reason, every Melinda pack contains similar apples! After the packaging phase, all performed manually, Melinda apples are ready to be sent all over Italy and in other 60 countries, for their over 35 million consumers throughout the world.

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