| Melville Sewell Bagley | |
| Birth Date: | 10 July 1838 |
| Birth Place: | Bangor, Maine |
| Death Place: | Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Nationality: | American |
| Occupation: | Entrepreneur |
| Known For: | Bagley (Argentine company) and Hesperidina liqueur |
| Notable Works: | Hesperidina |
Melville Sewell Bagley (July 10, 1838, in Bangor, Maine – July 14, 1880, in Buenos Aires, Argentina) was the originator of the archetypical Argentine national liqueur Hesperidina and holder of the first patent and trademark to be registered in Argentina on that product.[1]
Bagley collected a large quantity of the peels and thru experimenting, created an aperitif and herbal flavored triple sec. He then took inspiration from recent American publicity techniques and put up posters with the legend "Hesperidina is Coming" ("Se viene Hesperidina") in prominent locations and in newspapers. A newspaper editor wrote a column speculating on the mysterious product. Bagley then arranged for a cart of his product Hesperidina to have a wheel come off in front of the newspaper headquarters.
The story of the cart and the product was picked up by the various newspapers and attracted significant attention in restaurants and saloons. It became a highly successful business which obtained the first patent and trademark. Hesperidina is considered the Argentine national liqueur.[2] Bagley later started a biscuit company, Bagley Argentina S.A., which was more successful. Both products are still manufactured.