Company to modernise production facility in Trentino as it targets expansion in new markets and among younger consumers
Melinda Lab, the processed products division of Italian apple marketing consortium Melinda, says it will expand its production of purées, snacks, and dried fruit, having secured €8mn in new funding from national post-Covid rebuilding project PNRR.
The consortium said it planned to modernise a facility in Trentino run by member cooperative Cles Fruit Growers, by adding new production lines as well as systems for raw material management and water recycling.
With that facility more or less at capacity, while demand for natural processed products is said to be growing, Melinda said the move represented a strategic opportunity to expand its product portfolio, tap into new markets, and increase demand among younger consumers.
The development would also focus on energy efficiency, the circular economy, and reducing environmental impact, it added.
“This opportunity rewards a systemic vision built over time, founded on cooperation and investment capacity,” stated Ernesto Seppi, president of the Melinda and APOT Consortium.
“For our members, this means increased margins, new royalties, enhanced brand value, and a strengthening of the consortium’s capital. In other words, transforming innovation and the market into tangible income for the membership, while simultaneously consolidating the future prospects of the Trentino apple growing system.”
‘Steady growth’
Since it was acquired in 2022, Melinda Lab has apparently experienced steady growth, providing Melinda with an additional revenue stream alongside its fresh produce business.
“Our unit has long been experiencing significant growth, which must now be accompanied by appropriate investments to consolidate and improve production processes, strengthening the quality and diversification of our offerings,” explained Melinda Lab president Cesare Franzoi.
“The efficient use of public resources, in this sense, represents a crucial contribution to driving innovation and product development for the benefit of the entire supply chain, promoting employment and improving trade between the fresh and processed sectors, thus providing further opportunities to enhance the value of our farmers’ raw materials.”
Denis Fondriest, president of the Cles Fruit Growers’ Cooperative, welcomed the expansion plan. “Thanks to this development contract, we will be able to further improve the refrigeration systems for our apples, increasing the plant’s energy efficiency, and contribute to the environmental sustainability of the entire supply chain.”
