Quality and tradition have always been the values that guide company choices. Founded by Domenico Melegatti back in 1894, Melegatti S.p.A. grows over time becoming one of the leading companies in the confectionery sector worldwide.
Pandoro is inspired by an ancient Christmas tradition of Verona: on the night of Christmas Eve, women gathered in their kitchens making together the “levà”, a mixture of flour, milk and yeast. Domenico Melegatti starts from “levà” and transforms it, enriching it with butter and eggs, eliminating what he considers counterproductive for leavening. From making the dough to the finished product, approximately 36 hours pass. The leavening of over 10 hours and the 6-7 cycles of dough make it difficult to make the cake “at home”. According to the family legend, a passer-by, in front of the first slice of the new dessert illuminated by a ray of sunshine, exclaimed in amazement: “l’è proprio un pan de oro!” (“It is really a golden bread!”).
October 14th 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.
Pandoro was born as a dessert for all holidays. Doctors, at the beginning of the century, even recommended it to convalescents and new mothers as a light and nutritious food. Consequently, thanks to mass consumption, the Pandoro becomes the most popular dessert in the Christmas period. The cake immediately became a great success and in a short time contributed to the rapid expansion of Domenico Melegatti’s business. The demand for Pandoro grows with the end of World War II. Italy in the 1950s underwent a profound social transformation: from an agricultural country it became an industrial nation and the increase in family income took Pandoro out of the status of a luxury product. The “Casa del Pandoro Melegatti” itself becomes a limited liability company and the first real industrial plant is opened.
Thanks to the participation in numerous shows and events throughout Italy, Pandoro is known everywhere. At that time, the company decided to invest in some vans branded “Melegatti”, used to carry out the “door to door” sale in the small towns around Verona. In the 1960s Melegatti’s production was further automated, increasing volumes. The distribution system evolves: the main channel is still represented by small pastry shops, but the first grocery stores are starting to emerge. Melegatti begins to distribute Pandoro throughout Italy. Since the 1970s, the presence in the grocery stores has increased exponentially thanks to important advertising investments. In 1974 the first national advertising campaign was published in the newspapers and in 1976 Pandoro Melegatti made its first appearance on main stream TV channels.
Today, we continue to innovate and pass on the art of traditional Italian pastry, as Domenico Melegatti taught us. Attentive to consumer needs and market trends, we constantly work to expand our product range and maintain the high quality that has always distinguished our products.