Our roots
Melegatti, more than 120 years of history
Domenico Melegatti, 1844 - 1914
Domenico Melegatti, 1844 - 1914
1894
October 14, 1894, Domenico Melegatti receives the Industrial Property Certificate from the Ministry of Agriculture, Industry and Commerce of the Kingdom of Italy for inventing the name, shape and recipe of Pandoro.
“E l’à inventà
el pandoro”
(He has invented the Pandoro)
1904
Melegatti launches a new cake that always starts from the “levà” concept but he declines it in a richer and more delicious version: it is the Pan Reale dedicated to King Umberto I.
Il dolce Pan Reale nell'illustrazione del 1904 che accompagna la domanda di brevetto.
L'emblema del dolce Pan Reale in un cliché dell'epoca.
1920
The building where Domenico Melegatti’s pastry shop was located. It was renovated in the 1920s by Virgilio Turco and transformed into the “Casa del Pandoro”. At the top left there is a tuff small obelisk with the shape of a Pandoro.
La "Casa del Pandoro".
Postwar period
In the 1950s, Italy is characterized by a profound social transformation, perhaps the greatest in its recent history: from an agricultural country it became an industrial nation. Millions of people leave the countryside and move to the city, consumption changes its appearance driven by a well-being status that reaches also new population categories.
1951
The postwar period opens up for Melegatti with important news. In 1951, a large laboratory was inaugurated in a modern building builded in via Raggio di Sole, on the corner of Corso Porta Nuova.
Melegatti palace located in Via Raggio di Sole, Verona.
1953
A new product is launched: the Colomba. Melegatti is no longer a single-product company, diversification begins and the Pandoro is “married”.
1955
A second shop is opened in Verona located under the Bra arcades, the real elegant heart of the city at that time.
1956-57
The company buys two Alfa Romeo vans and decorates them with the Melegatti brand to carry out an “attempted sale”. The two vans brought Pandoro and Colomba through Verona, Mantova and Brescia areas, reaching as far as Vicenza and Trentino.
An Alfa Romeo van on 1956
Advertising: The meeting between Juliet and Romeo
1959
The characteristic pandoro package was born. A blue container is patented and it is formed by two truncated pyramid elements with a square section; on the upper part, a partial hexagon acts as a handle and it appears in blue color with gold vertical stripes.
1961
1961 was the time for a new move: Melegatti moved to a larger location, in Corso Milano 110. New ovens, mixers, transformer belts were installed. Pandoro is industrialized with respect for tradition.
1968
The company reaches one billion in turnover. The network of representatives has expanded considerably and now covers the whole of Italy. Pandoro is also starting to appear in supermarkets.
Manifesto pubblicitario anni '60
1970-75
In the 1970s Melegatti joined the still small group of companies that advertised on a national scale. In 1974 Melegatti launched its first national campaign in the newspapers.
Annuncio apparso nei periodici nel 1974
1976-78
1976 marks another important step: the Melegatti Pandoro appears on television. In 1978, on the way to commercial expansion, the Pandoro landed on the first evening television, in “Spazio F” (the new name in those years of the famous Carosello).
The 1978 advertising portfolio
A frame from the 1978 commercial
1983
The turnover is closed to 13 billion: it is the right momento for a quality leap. The headquarters in Corso Milano are left and a new plant is opened on a large industrial area in San Giovanni Lupatoto (Verona).
1984
The Natale d’Oro Melegatti competition is born, generating great visibility for the brand, sparking widespread public interest: the first prize, in particular, has an almost fairytale aura (Maserati or Ferrari or Porsche). In the first year the commercials are played by Franca Valeri and Milena Vukotic.
1985-1992
Franca Valeri remains alone, with a stylized and light version of the classic character that has accompanied her entire career.
1993
The protagonist of the TV commercials becomes Angela Finocchiaro.
'90
In the 90s the company expand the range of products, increasingly consolidating its role as leader on the leavened cakes market in Italy.
Today
Today Melegatti is an organization that looks to the future. The strength and the uniqueness of the company is the ability to pass on, over more than a century, the production long tradition and shared heritage, that have their roots in the genius of Domenico Melegatti.
During last years, the company has token a profound evolution path, expanding its range of products with a line of Cakes, Biscuits and Croissants to complement the traditional anniversary leavened cake Pandoro, Panettone and Colomba. The development of a new products range is accompanied by the renewal of the production lines. In 2020, Melegatti’s commitment to guaranteeing the highest standards of safety and control in its products was awarded with the achievment of 3 important international certifications.