A monument to hard work, resilience and rich, full-bodied flavor, the family-owned S. Martinelli & Company has been producing quality apple juices and sparkling ciders in Watsonville for more than 150 years.
Shortly after graduating from Stanford in 1979, S. John Martinelli joined the business, looking to keep that tradition alive while also boosting it to new heights. He served as the company’s president from 2007 to 2019 and now is its chairman of the board.
Here, Martinelli fields a few questions about that vaunted family heritage, his enduring love of apples and a TikTok craze that had some serious bite.
Q: Many kids resist going into the family business, yearning to strike out on their own. How did you end up in the fold?
A: I graduated from Stanford with a degree in economics. After 14 years of school, I was burnt out and didn’t quite know what I wanted to do. I went home for the summer and was being super lazy. Meanwhile, my dad was always super busy. So I asked him, “What the heck do you do all day? You make apple juice. It can’t be that hard!” He said, “OK, wise guy. You think it’s easy? Come spend a day with me.”
Q: And that sucked you in?
A: I went with him to the plant, and oh my God, I saw that they had just a few people doing everything. … There were no computers. Everything was old and breaking down. We couldn’t keep up with the business opportunities that we had. I realized that we needed some youthful enthusiasm, and that was something I could provide. I didn’t know anything about the business, but I immersed myself in research.
Q: Your company, unlike some, embraces and touts its history. You even penned a commemorative book for Martinelli’s 150th anniversary in 2018. Why is celebrating the past so important to you?
A: It’s almost everything. It’s who we are. The odds of a company surviving five generations is one in a million. The fact that we survived through Prohibition, the Great Depression, two world wars and a few of our own family squabbles is pretty impressive. What’s not to like about that?
Q: Martinelli’s Sparkling Cider is a popular item on the kiddie table during the holidays, when children guzzle it while adults uncork the Champagne. Can you sell us on why we should all just stick to the sparkling cider?
A: First of all, I have to tell you: I like Champagne. It’s in our family’s heritage. So our mantra is not “instead of,” but “in addition to.” The two go hand in hand and satisfy the same craving. Our sparkling cider is beautiful, bright, festive — and tingling on the tongue.
Q: Be honest. After all these years, don’t you ever get sick of apples?
A: No way! In fact, I have five apple trees in my backyard. And I love grafting different varieties of apples on my trees. You can have as many varieties as there are branches. Not a lot of people realize that.
Q: OK, so what’s your favorite apple?
A: The Newtown Pippin, without question. It’s one of the oldest apple varieties in America. To me, it’s the perfect apple. It has just the right flavor balance of sweetness and tartness.
Q: Several celebrities — including Michael B. Jordan, Kylie Jenner, Lance Bass and others — have publicly declared their love for Martinelli’s on social media. What do you think of all this attention?
A: We love the heck out of it, and it’s very flattering. But we don’t go out of our way to capitalize on it, because that would almost stop it from happening. … Although, I have to admit that I didn’t know who Kylie Jenner was. I had to Google her.
Q: Martinelli’s even inspired a strange TikTok trend that had users biting into plastic apple juice bottles because it sounds like biting into an actual apple.
A: It was absolutely crazy — and unbelievable how much it boosted our product. We can’t keep that plastic bottle in stock.
IF YOU GO
The tasting bar at the Martinelli’s Company Store is temporarily closed due to COVID-19 precautionary measures, but the store is open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays at 345 Harvest Drive in Watsonville; www.martinellis.com
