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Martinelli's

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Company buildings
A bottle of Martinelli's sparkling cider

Martinelli's is the brand name of S. Martinelli & Company, a non-alcoholic cider and juice company founded in 1868 and located in Watsonville, California.[1] The company is privately held by descendants of the founders.[2] It is best known for its non-alcoholic sparkling apple cider and its apple juice.[2]

History

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Stepheno Martinelli emigrated in the late 1850s from Switzerland to California and moved to his brother Luigi's farm in Watsonville.[3] Stepheno initially was in the soda business and realized he could make money by creating hard ciders from the apples grown on his brother's farm.[3] The company was founded in 1868 in the Pajaro Valley by the two Martinelli brothers.[3]

Stepheno previously had experience making champagne in France. The recipe won a gold medal at the 1890 California State Fair.[4] As of 2021, it is a fifth-generation family operated business.[3]

Martinelli's has also produced a sparkling hard cider.[1] They also have several other brands of juices. There is a street in Watsonville that bears the Martinelli name.

References

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  1. ^ a b Pereira, Alyssa (2018-09-26). "Martinelli's, long-known for non-alcoholic cider, celebrates 150 years by bringing back hard cider". SFGATE. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  2. ^ a b Dannelke, Lenora (8 December 2009). "S. Martinelli & Co.: Fruit Punch". Beverage World. Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
  3. ^ a b c d Guerrero, Susana (2021-11-03). "Martinelli's sales were plummeting until a viral trend saved it". SFGATE. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  4. ^ "Martinelli's Hard Cider Roots". Martinelli's. 2019-03-28. Retrieved 2020-08-01.
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