Stephen G. Martinelli, was a young Swiss gent, who in 1859
settled in Central California's fertile Pajaro Valley near Monterey
Bay, where the apples were of exceptional quality for cider
making.
In 1868 he started his cider business in his brother's barn,
using apples from California's first commercial orchards. The
original products were bottle-fermented champagne cider, hard
cider, and carbonated soft drinks.. Deliveries were made by
horsedrawn wagon.
The expanding business moved to its current location in the
center of Watsonville in 1885. A steam-powered cider mill was
constructed, new tanks and bottling equipment were installed, and a
40-acre apple orchard was planted to assure a supply of the best
varieties.
CONGRATULATIONS! #1GeoBears "as our luck would have it
we are first to find!"