History

Stephano Martinelli is born in the Martinelli family home in Valley Maggia, Switzerland. He is the youngest of eight children born here.

Stephano’s older brother, Luigi, struggled to earn a living in his hometown and decided to leave Switzerland. He set sail for California and the prospect of the Gold Rush. He reached San Francisco, and eventually made his way to the temperate and fertile Pajaro Valley (modern day Watsonville) to farm beans, grain, and eventually, apples.

Stephano and Luigi Americanize their names to Stephen and Louis. Stephen starts a soda water business in a lean-to shed on his brother’s barn.

Business picks up among the locals, and Stephen produces ginger ale and a patented Orange Champagne, known as a “delicious temperance drink.” He then starts to experiment with bottled fermented hard cider.

The product line of Martinelli’s Cider and Soda Works includes: sarsaparilla (similar to root beer), Cream Soda, Ginger Ale, Lemon Soda, Raspberry Soda, Orange Champagne, and Gold Medal Cider. Orange Champagne is advertised in the Pajaronian, a historic local newspaper.

Cities in California and Arizona begin “going dry” as a precursor to Prohibition. While in college, Professor Kruse of UC Berkeley assists Stephen in developing a pasteurization process to preserve unfermented apple juice in glass bottles, adapting a method used in the canning industry. First sales of the product begin that year.

Stephen G. Martinelli, Jr. enlists in the military and is first stationed in Georgia. His father, Stephen G. Martinelli, suddenly passes away. Leask, Stephen G. Martinelli, Jr.’s brother, runs the business until he can return home. When WWI ends, Stephen G. Martinelli, Jr. takes over the business and brings the first Coca-Cola bottling franchise to Santa Cruz County.

According to the New York World, the U.S. Navy made Martinelli’s their drink of choice during Hawaiian operations.

The Great Depression begins, and people flock to theaters as a temporary escape. According to a 1929 article, Prohibition-era filmmakers used Sparkling Cider as a substitute for Champagne on set. Paramount, Warner Brothers, and Cecil B. Demille preferred the Gold Medal brand. Martinelli’s became the “Champagne of the movies.”

The Third Street plant is expanded for the growing Coca-Cola franchise bottling and distribution business and sparkling apple juice in 12-ounce bottles production. These products are run on the same bottling line.

A fire broke out in a nearby warehouse, destroying a large portion of Martinelli’s bottled cider before it could be shipped to grocers. Stephen C. Martinelli recalls the street in front of the warehouse being ankle-deep in their cider.

Martinelli’s advertises the Golden Apple bottle for the current generation with this iconic photo, which was used as an image on post cards.

Production of hard cider is discontinued to make room for more profitable non-alcoholic sparkling cider production.

Fourth generation S. John Martinelli joins the company after graduating from Stanford University with a degree in economics.

Increased pressing capacity, a state of the art filtration system, and a high speed sparkling bottling line are installed to quadruple production capacity and keep up with growing demand for S. Martinelli’s gold medal juice products.

A small sparkling cider line was assembled with used equipment to help build the business volume up in anticipation of the next major expansion. Apple-Grape is introduced to the sparkling apple juice product line.

A new high speed sparkling line and large warehouse is added to the West Beach plant to triple capacity and keep up with growing demand.

Fire destroys the Apple Growers cold storage. Martinelli’s lost millions of dollars worth of apples and finished product.

S. Martinelli & Company plants their first company-owned apple orchards in response to growing demand of flavorful, Martinelli’s brand organic blends.

To commemorate its 150th anniversary, the company also introduces 1868 Hard Cider. This crisp and refreshing alcohol based hard cider was named in recognition of the year the company was founded and celebrates the original product type made by Martinelli’s.

Martinelli’s adds a new product to its Gold Medal portfolio, Sparkling Blush. The newest addition of non-alcoholic sparkling cider is 100% juice made from U.S. grown fresh apples with a splash of raspberry to give it a crisp taste and beautiful pink color.