Giorgia Meloni praises Melinda’s cable-car system, which links the cooperative’s Predaia packhouse to its innovative mountain storage
Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni has officially opened the world’s first cable-car system dedicated to fruit transportation.
Apple supplier Melinda’s Funivia delle Mele can take up to 140 tonnes of apples per hour from its packhouse in Predaia, Trentino, to storage rooms deep inside a nearby mountain.
“What we see today, in this marvelous valley, which I had the privilege of viewing from the cable car, is concrete proof that humanity and the environment are not enemies, as some would have us believe; they are friends, indeed, allies,” Meloni told those gathered at the facility’s inauguration.
“Farmers and producers are the first guardians of nature, and it is not possible to protect nature without responsible human intervention. Which is exactly what we see here.”
The Italian government has supported the project with approximately €4.1mn in funding from the EU’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan.
Stretching for 1.3km, the connection was designed and built by Leitner is a unique logistical project for the fresh produce business.
And significantly, it offers Melinda a chance to reduce its use of road transport from the packhouse up to its mountain storage, which is located in the nearby Rio Maggiore mine and is said to offer a 30 per cent energy saving.
According to the company, the system eliminates over 5,000 truck journeys each year, reducing emissions and improving road safety.
It is also powered by renewable photovoltaic and hydroelectric energy, and uses the weight of the apples themselves as they descend to reduce energy consumption.
“We are looking at a project built 100 per cent by Italian workers, powered by renewable energy, and capable of transporting apples to an equally unique structure: the underground cells dug into the heart of the Dolomite rock, which constitute an immense natural refrigerator that reduces energy costs, minimises environmental impact, and eliminates land use,” Meloni added. “The underground cells and the Apple Cableway constitute an absolutely cutting-edge production and organisational model.”
Restored traditions
Melinda president Ernesto Seppi emphasised the cooperative’s focus on innovation and sustainability.
“We’ve brought our grandparents’ traditions back into everyday life, when coldstorage didn’t exist. We’ve applied tradition to technology, but we needed a further step to transport our apples up the mountain,” he said.
“We were using more than 5,000 trucks, with obvious challenges due to the precarious mountain roads. So we really took a risk, with that touch of Italian madness and ingenuity that has always distinguished us around the world.”
He added that the project was “proudly 100 per cent Made in Italy, unprecedented in the world, and implemented in two years by leveraging aggregation and cooperation. These factors have prevented the migration of our population and our farmers, who, on the contrary, want to experience this land just as our children will.”
Italy’s Minister of Agriculture Francesco Lollobrigida welcomed the project’s contribution to the local economy. “This facility combines environmental sustainability with the essential sustainability of production that guarantees wealth, economy, and jobs,” he said, calling it “a strategic and unique project worldwide that has a minimal impact on the environment and the local area, guarantees energy savings, and allows for a vision of the future, uniting the environment and jobs”.
He continued: “Melinda has proven to be at the forefront of innovation and quality. The facility will also serve as an example for other nations and producers.”
