In this video we were in the Melinda factory in Trentino, in Val di Non. Not just any valley, but the ideal area for growing apples, thanks to its unique characteristics: optimal exposure to the sun favored by the north-south orientation and a mild climate, with altitudes between 400 and 1100 meters.
Here the harvest takes place between August and end of Octoberstrictly by hand, to prevent the fruits from being damaged.
Our story starts from one of the points where all the Consortium’s apples arrive: approximately 400,000 tons coming from 6,700 hectares of orchards.
After harvesting, apples must be stored. Being a fruit climactericcontinue to ripen even after being picked: this is why it is essential to control the process.
They are usually stored in cold rooms, but in the Melinda factories we saw something unique: the underground cells, obtained from quarry voids in a mine that is still active.
A space of 35,000 square meters transformed into a perfect environment for conservation, where they can be placed approximately 40 million kilos of apples.
To get to the underground cells, the apples make a special journey: they pass through a cable car designed specifically for them, the first cable car in the world used for transporting fruit. The route covers over 1.3 km, with a difference in altitude of almost 100 meters, and the last 450 meters run entirely in the tunnel.
Each cabin can transport up to 1 ton of apples, therefore 3 boxes, for a total capacity of approximately 150 tons per hour.
After storage, the apples return to the valley, where they came from selected and packaged. In the video we show the entire process: a huge, perfectly synchronized setup that is truly mesmerizing to watch.
