São Paulo – European countries have long appreciated products that bear certificates of geographic indication. Brazilians are now investing to earn them too. The effort has a reason: products with labels of indication of origin or denomination of origin gain value, sell more, attract tourists and boost exports. The labels are awarded to agricultural products, manufactured goods or services.
The general coordination of Geographic Indications and Registries at the National Institute of Intellectual Property (Inpi), Susana Guimarães claims that increasing the amount of certificates is a target of the federal government. “The government wants to increase international and domestic tourism. For such, the idea is to have products that may attract visitors to different regions. Foreigners are aware of what the denomination of origin means, and that adds value to the products. Now, Brazilian consumers are beginning to ascribe value to this certificate,” she says.
Since 2010, the Inpi and the Brazilian Export Promotion Agency (Apex) promote lectures and seminars on the matter. But there are still only a handful of certified associations.
Out of the nine geographical indications awarded by the Inpi, eight are for indication of origin. Such is the case of coffee from the Cerrado Mineiro (savannah) and Serra da Mantiqueira (mountain range) regions of the state of Minas Gerais, meat from the Pampa Gaúcho (lowlands of Rio Grande do Sul), cane spirit from Paraty, table grapes and mango from Vale do Submédio São Francisco in Bahia and in Pernambuco, leather from Vale dos Sinos and wine from Vale dos Vinhedos and Pinto Bandeira, both in Rio Grande do Sul.
The only certification for denomination of origin is for rice from the northern coast of Rio Grande do Sul. The Inpi has already cleared the issuance of indication of origin for handicraft made from golden grass in Jalapão (state of Tocantins) and cooking pots from Goiabeiras, made from clay, from Espírito Santo. These artisan associations still need to pay a fee in order to obtain the certificate.
The indication of origin is related to the “fame” of the product. One example is handicraft made from golden grass in the Jalapão region. The denomination of origin certifies that a product has unique characteristics exclusively due to the region in which it is made. The French name for it is terroir.
According to the president of the Association of Rice Producers of the Northern Coast of Rio Grande do Sul (Aproarroz), Clovis Terra, the grain grown in the region is harder, more crystalline and contains less oxygen than those grown in other regions. As a result, this rice has a better yield. “We knew we had a differentiated product. Five and a half years ago we began doing research, and after four and a half years it was proven that the rice acquires different chracteristics due to the thermal characteristics of the region, because the temperature does not vary as much,” he claims.
Vale dos Vinhedos, in the Bento Gonçalves region, in the northeast of Rio Grande do Sul, already has the certificate of indication of origin. This year, the Association of Fine Wine Producers of Vale dos Vinhedos (Aprovale) should be awarded a certificate of denomination of origin by the Inpi. It takes longer to be issued and requires technical studies to prove that the qualities of the grape are conditioned to the region.
While they wait for the label of denomination of origin, winemakers from Vale dos Vinhedos profit off the benefits that the indication of origin, obtained in 2002, has brought them. “We established Aprovale 16 years ago and one of the goals was to obtain the denomination of origin. At that time, we were 6 affiliated winemaking companies. Now we are 31,” says the president of Aprovale, Rogério Carlos Valduga.
According to figures supplied by the Aprovale, before the Vale dos Vinhedos Indication of Origin (IPVV, in the Portuguese acronym) was issued, one hectare of land in the region cost 50,000 reals (US$ 31,900). Now it costs more than 300,000 reals (US$ 192,000). According to the Inpi, tourism in the region grew by more than 300% after the IPVV was obtained. Valduga claims that the certificate has boosted the region’s economy.
“At present, we have 70 affiliates that have emerged as a result of the certificate. They are owners of lodges, restaurants, hotels that receive the tourists who come to get to know our products,” says Valduga. The 31 wineries in the region are open to visitation.
The denomination of origin will attest to the quality of red wines produced using merlot grapes and white wines made using chardonnay at Vale dos Vinhedos. “For such, we have narrowed down the region that will receive the certificate from 82km² to 72km². Only areas that are 400 metres high or more will be awarded the label,” says Valduga. This was one of the requirements that producers had to meet in order to earn the certificate.
Surveys conducted by technicians of the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), of the University of Caxias do Sul and the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul and of the Brazilian Oenology Association have also set rules for the growing and production of wine in the region.
Clovis Terra claims that Aproarroz has not yet started to earn money from the denomination of origin, obtained in September 2010. The association of growers is not conducting studies to determine how it will place the product on the market and how to add value to the certificate. “We do not want it to go unnoticed, as was the case with other labels in the past,” he says. The producers are considering a marketing strategy and assessing what the ideal points of sale are. “We are surely going to sell it at specialized stores, and we will export to a few countries. we are still studying who we are going to sell it to.”
Valduga, of the Aprovale, claims that the Indication of Origin has helped producers in the region to sell more to Europe. “We earned the recognition from the European Community. It has made it easier to export because, in the world of wine, the European Community sets the rules regarding product quality,” he claims. The Aprovale forecasts that in the future, each wine-producing region will have its certification. Thus, each product will bring to consumers the qualities of its terroir.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
