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italoamericano-digital-3-6-2025

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THURSDAY, MARCH 6, 2025 www.italoamericano.org 26 L'Italo-Americano Entracque, Cuneo, Battista initially worked for Fiat in Torino but disliked factory life. "He was always entre- preneurial," Michelle says. "When they were building one of the largest dams in Europe near our village, he started a taxi service to trans- port workers and locals." That decision led him to his future wife, RoseMarie Mel- lano. "My grandparents took a final trip to Italy, and my m o m a c c o m p a n i e d t h e m . T h e y n e e d e d s o m e o n e t o help them when they arrived, and everyone in the village said, Battista is back — he'll take care of you!" The two fell in love. "When my mom returned to California, my dad sold his taxi, packed his b a g s , a n d f o l l o w e d h e r . " Once in California, Battista brought his European agri- cultural experience to Mel- lano & Company, helping transform their new Ocean- shares. "We produce ranun- culus from the end of Febru- ary all the way to May. Many p e o p l e v i s i t T h e F l o w e r Fields in Carlsbad just to see them." But their business extends far beyond Califor- nia. "We import flowers from Holland, Africa, Thailand, Japan, Singapore, Mexico, France, Italy, Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador — basi- cally everywhere," Bob says. "Customers want variety, and with different growing sea- sons around the world, we make sure to provide it." Another key figure joined through family ties: Battista Castellano, who had met a n d m a r r i e d G i o v a n n i ' s daughter Rose-Marie after a fateful summer trip to Italy in 1967. Michelle Castel- lano, their daughter, shares how her father's immigration story paralleled her grandfa- ther Giovanni's. Born in the s a m e I t a l i a n v i l l a g e , side farm from untouched land into productive fields. "He had a deep connection with farmworkers," Michelle r e m e m b e r s . " M o s t w e r e immigrants from Mexico, just like he had once been in France. He built housing on our farm, knowing firsthand what it was like to arrive in a new country for work." While her grandfather, Giovanni, started the busi- ness, Michelle remembers h e r g r a n d m o t h e r M a r i a ' s tireless work that made it thrive. "Everyone talks about m y g r a n d f a t h e r , b u t m y grandmother was out in the fields picking flowers, cook- ing lunch for all the employ- ees, and taking care of the family—all at the same time." That sense of family extends beyond blood ties. "We've always said our employees a r e o u r f a m i l y , " M i c h e l l e says. "It takes all of us work- i n g t o g e t h e r t o k e e p t h i s business going. Hard work, r e s i l i e n c e , a n d s t i c k i n g together—that's what has kept us here for nearly 100 years." The Mellano family's ties to Italy remain strong. Bob recounts how his parents ensured their children visited their ancestral homeland. "They wanted us to see where we came from. I took my four kids when they were young. We visited Cuneo, Torino, and all the family." Business connections also keep the family close to Italy. "We i m p o r t c u t f l o w e r s a n d f o l i a g e f r o m S a n r e m o because its ecosystem is very similar to San Diego Coun- t y ' s . I n f a c t , s o m e o f o u r crops — like Italian Ruscus and Silver Queen Pittospo- r u m — w e r e o r i g i n a l l y imported from there before w e s t a r t e d g r o w i n g t h e m ourselves." A n d w h a t a b o u t t h e f u t u r e ? " O u r b u s i n e s s doesn't look like it did in 1925," Michelle says. "It's grown and changed, and it has to continue evolving. "But if we can continue to work hard, stick together, and embrace change, adapt- ing while staying true to our roots, we may just be here for another century." One flower at a time. pany's legacy. By the early 1 9 6 0 s , B o b ' s f a t h e r a n d uncle, Johnny and Mike Mel- lano Sr., became active in the business. The late 1960s brought major changes. As Los Ange- les grew, farmland disap- peared, and Mellano & Com- pany relocated the farm to Oceanside, near San Diego. "My father managed whole- sale operations here while m y u n c l e t o o k o v e r t h e farm," Bob explains. By 1972, the last of the Artesia farm- l a n d h a d b e e n s o l d , f u l l y shifting the farming opera- tions to San Diego County. Today, Mellano & Company remains a generational busi- ness, with family mem- bers across branches still deeply involved. Their farm- ing operations expanded to Carlsbad, where they are now the world's largest pro- ducer of ranunculus. "The season has just started," Bob B e h i n d m a n y s u c c e s s f u l A m e r i c a n s t o - r i e s l i e s t h e j o u r n e y o f a n immigrant. The story of Mel- lano & Company, the old- est flower business in the western United States, is no e x c e p t i o n . I t i s a t a l e o f resilience, hard work, and a deep-rooted love for both family and the land — a jour- ney that began in Italy and blossomed into a thriving multi-generational enterprise in California. As the family celebrates its 100th anniver- sary in 2025, their legacy is a testament to perseverance, adaptability, and the endur- ing power of family. It all started with Giovan- ni Mellano, who arrived from Entracque, (Cuneo) in the United States in 1921 through Ellis Island, eventu- ally making his way to Santa Cruz. "My grandfather was working for another Italian family," his grandson Bob M e l l a n o t e l l s u s . " T h e y would go up into the hills, cutting foliage, greens, and wildflowers, then bring them down by horse and buggy. Some were sent to the San Francisco Flower Market, some to Los Angeles." But after several years, Giovanni realized, "I didn't come to America to do this. I could do this in Italy." He decided to go see Los Angeles for himself. Finishing his work one day, he loaded the h a r v e s t e d f l o w e r s o n t o a train, hopped in with them, and left for L.A. — where he would start his own business in 1925 in downtown Los Angeles where the location still exists nowadays. A few years later, Giovanni went back to Piemonte for his youngest sister's wed- ding, where he met and fell in love with a woman from the village, Maria. After get- ting married, they moved back together to America in D e c e m b e r o f 1 9 3 4 . H e r e , they bought a home in Arte- sia, California, with 6.5 acres o f l a n d . T h i s m a r k e d t h e beginning of Mellano & Com- The Mellano family has been cultivating beautiful flowers in California for 100 years. It all started with the entrepre- neurial instinct of Giovanni Mellano (Photo courtesy of Mellano & Company) A century in bloom: the Mellano family's legacy of flowers, family, and the American dream SILVIA NITTOLI LOS ANGELES ITALIAN COMMUNITY

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