Protected Geographical
Indication
What is a Protected Geographical Indication?
They are distinctive signs that identify a product as originating in the territory of a country, a region or locality of that territory, when a certain quality, reputation or
other characteristic of the product is essentially attributable to its geographical origin.
Article 22 of the TRIPS Agreement
What is an Appellation of Origin?
¨The appellation of origin of a country, region or locality which serves to designate a product originating therein, the quality or characteristics of which are due exclusively or essentially to the geographical environment, including natural and human factors¨.
Article 2, Lisbon Agreement
Who can apply for a Geographical Indication in Venezuela?
Duly organized groups of producers directly engaged in the extraction, production, manufacture or processing of the products intended to be covered by the Geographical Indication; national, state, municipal, communal, indigenous peoples and other local communities with legal personality, chambers or associations of manufacturers or producers, whose territorial scope corresponds to the geographical indications or appellations of origin applied for.
Appellations of Origin granted by SAPI
Chuao Cocoa
Granted: Resolution 02006. Bulletin 443 dated November 22, 2000.
Renewed. Bulletin 568 November 14, 2016.
Product: Cocoa
Delimited geographic area
Hacienda Campesina de Chuao. Located in the town of Chuao, Santiago Mariño Autonomous Municipality, Chuao Parish, Aragua State. North latitude 10°, 29’46.8¨ and west longitude 67°, 31’58.7¨.
Internal Control Organ
Empresa Campesina de Chuao
Cocuy de Pecaya
Granted: Resolution 0287. Bulletin 445 of June 1, 2001. Renewal of resolution 238. Bulletin 568, November 14, 2016.
Product: Spirit drink Cocuy
Delimited geographical area
Town of Pecaya, Sucre municipality of Falcón state, located at 369 masl, with latitude 11°, 04’30¨ and longitude 69°, 51’37¨.
Internal control body
Cocuy de Pecaya Regulatory Council
Rum from Venezuela
Granted: Resolution 798. Bulletin 459, November 04, 2003. Renewed Resolution 161. Bulletin 596, August 28, 2019.
Product: Rum
Beneficiaries: Rum Companies
Delimited geographical area
States: Aragua, Lara, Miranda, Monagas, Sucre, Portuguesa and Yaracuy.
Internal control body
Civil Association Rum Promotion Fund of Venezuela (Fonpronven)
Protected Geographical Indications granted by SAPI
Cocuy Larense
Granted: Resolution 624. Bulletin N° 609, July 2021 Reprint. Resolution 731 Bulletin 610, 05 August 2021.
Product: Cocuy
Delimited geographic area
State of Lara
Initial beneficiary: Government of the State of Lara
Characteristics that distinguish it from other products
The particularities of cocuy Larense are due to ancestral knowledge about the production process transmitted from generation to generation; the characteristics of the area, which is a warm and semi-arid region, where agave is cultivated or born wild and because for hundreds of years, cocuy larense, an ancestral drink, has been made; the raw material, which is the Agave cocui, requires eight (8) to fourteen (14) years for its correct maturation and the complexity of the production process in its various stages: baking, fermentation of the juices, distillation and preparation of the drink, everything adequate looking for the best quality.
The final organoleptic qualities of cocuy larense are particularly its acid, slightly bitter, smoky, hot, citric, caramel, wood, raisins, dried fruits, tobacco, cinnamon and olive. With olfactory properties mainly notes of alcohol, agave, herbal, floral, fruity, smoky, fermented, sweet, astringent, caramel, acid or vinegary, wood, burnt wood, dried fruits, tobacco, raisins, decomposed fruit, among others.
Carenero Cocoa
Granted: Resolution 623. Bulletin 609. 02 July 2021.
Product: Cocoa
Initial beneficiary: Government of the Bolivarian State of Miranda.
Delimited geographic area
Barlovento Region, Miranda State
Characteristics that distinguish it from other cocoas
Carenero cocoa stands out for a strong chocolate taste. Also it perceives flavors of caramel, berries and honey in the background with slight acidity. Flavors and aromas of cherry and tobacco are also perceived in a complex way.
The producers use banana, cambur, corn, yucca, and ocumo plants as temporary shade for cocoa, and as permanent shade, apamate, araguaney, ceiba, mahogany, cedar and saman, which incorporate matter into the soil, making it more fertile and providing a particular fruity flavor to the cocoa.
Cacao Caripito
Granted: Resolution 1046. Bulletin 612, November 15, 2021.
Product: Cocoa Seeds
Initial beneficiary: Sociedad Civil Consejo Regulador de la Denominación de Origen Cacao de Caripito (Regulatory Council of the Cacao de Caripito Denomination of Origin).
Delimited geographic area
Municipality Bolivar of the state of Monagas, capital Caripito (surface of 358 km2), bordered to the north and east by the state of Sucre, to the south by the municipality Punceres and to the west by the municipality Caripe.
Characteristics that distinguish it from other cocoas
The cocoa from Caripito corresponds organoleptically to a fine aroma of cocoa, due to the presence not only of well marked basic flavors, but also of specific and balanced flavors.
It has flavor and aroma characteristics, definitely fruity and nutty. With a balanced bitterness and acidity, resulting in the clear presence of fruity notes.
The flavor and aroma of Caripito cocoa, which makes it different from the rest, is due to the climatic and geographical conditions. Caripito is a town with high rainfall rates, in addition to the proximity of the plantations to the San Juan and Caripe rivers.
Boconó Coffee
Granted: Resolution 1533. Bulletin 619, November 11, 2022.
Product: Coffee
Main beneficiary: Asociación Oro Verde C.A. (ASOVER), and Asociación Café de la Montaña y Alimentos Sociedad Agrícola (CAFEMSA).
Delimited geographic area
Parishes: Boconó, El Carmen, Mosquey, Burbusay, Guaramacal, Monseñor Jáuregui, Rafael Rangel, San Miguel, Ayacucho and San José de Tostós in the municipality of Boconó, Trujillo State.
Characteristics that distinguish it from other coffees
It has particular organoleptic properties: intense residual flavor, with a mixture of fruity flavors such as peach, lemon, grapefruit, plums, as well as dried fruits, spices and dark chocolate, all due to the characteristics of the geographical zone.
The acidity is balanced, related to the soils of the area, which gives it critical flavor characteristics, with a sweet taste, with important contributions of sugars characteristic of the bean. It is a coffee with a significant body, with a fairly high balance and uniformity.
All these characteristics of Boconó coffee are due to the geographical zone, particularly its altitude of 1225 meters above sea level. In this sense, coffee is planted from 1000 to 2500 meters above sea level, with climatic characteristics, availability of water, altitude and shade that provide special conditions for the cultivation of coffee.
Cacao de Choroní
Granted: Resolution 1534. Bulletin 619, November 11, 2022.
Product: Cocoa beans
Beneficiary: Corporación Socialista del Cacao Venezolano S.A. and Grupo Cacaoro C.A.
Geographically delimited area
Choroní Parish, Girardot Municipality, Aragua State.
Characteristics that distinguish it from other cocoas
The Choroní cocoa is characterized by its high genetic variability of the criollo cocoas of the area, which have generated particular materials unique to the area, which has been achieved by the permanent interaction of biotic and abiotic factors, particular to the Henry Pittier National Park (northern slope).
Choroní cocoa is a premium fine cocoa because it has a percentage of fermented beans higher than 74%. Once fermented, it is characterized by its aroma and flavor of cocoa, nuts and panela, as well as bitter and astringent notes, a characteristic touch of the cocoa axis that makes it unique and exclusive.
Patanemo Cocoa
Granted Resolution N° 910. Industrial Property Bulletin N°625 dated November 20, 2023.
Product: Cocoa beans
Applicants: Criollo de Patanemo cocoa society.
Delimited geographic area
Parish of Patanemo, Municipality of Puerto Cabello. Carabobo State.
Characteristics that distinguish it from other cocoas
The Patanemo cocoa, which has been cultivated over time (more than 200 years of cultivation), is influenced by several factors, among which we can mention the winds from the sea, which collide with the mountains surrounded by forests, bathing them with sea salts that provide the crops with nutrients and creating gradients of temperature and relative humidity, forming a microclimate in the mountains (cocoa growing areas). The organoleptic properties in terms of flavor and aroma, presents sweet notes with certain tones of acidity of fresh fruit (citrus), smells and flavors of almonds, nuts and dried fruits with aromas with notes of spices (pepper), nuts, panela and fresh fruit. The fermented cocoa presents moderate astringency, bitterness and acidity.
Coffee from Merida
Granted Resolution N° 911 in the Industrial Property Bulletin N°625 dated November 20, 2023.
Product: Coffee
Applicants: Asociación de Productores de Café Guaraque C.A (ASOPROGUARAQUE C.A); Asociación de Productores de Café de Los Andes C. A and Sociedad Civil Clúster del Café de Mérida.
Delimited geographic zone
The Municipalities that initially are going to be part of the Protected Geographical Indication of the state of Merida are the following:
1-Antonio Pinto Salinas (348 km2 and an altitude of 601 masl).
2-Guaraque (533 km2 and an altitude of 1507 masl).
3-Zea (122 km2 and an altitude of 904 masl).
4-Campo Elías (36 Km2 and an altitude of 1173 masl).
5-Libertador (907 Km2 and an altitude of 1330 masl).
Characteristics that distinguish it from other coffees
The quality of Merida’s coffee is linked to five factors: The genetic potential, the geographic location, the climate, the soil, and the human factor that performs the labor. All these elements make that the coffee produced is characterized by plants perfectly adapted to the climate with temperatures between 14 to 24°C, optimal for the development of the cultivated varieties, with a high average relative humidity between 68 to 92%, which provides cup quality from the organoleptic point of view.
The coffee from Merida, according to the tests, is an uniform clean cup, with medium acidity, leaving a rich, uniform and sweet overall impression. The organoleptic properties are mainly with sweet notes and aromas, fruity, chocolate, ripe fruits, ample fragrance and the flavor is mainly astringent. It also has a sweet and sour taste, with flavors of blackberry, raspberry and a strong chocolate and nutty note.
Margariteño Chili
Granted Resolution N° 263 in the Industrial Property Bulletin N°629 dated April 10, 2024.
Product: Chili
Applicants: THE BOLIVARIAN MUNICIPAL MAYOR’S OFFICE G/J JUAN BAUTISTA ARISMENDI of Nueva Esparta state, ASOCIACIÓN COOPERATIVA AJÍ MARGARITEÑO R.L., ASOCIACIÓN CIVIL RED DE PRODUCERS LIBRE Y ASOCIADOS “HATO ORINOCO” R.L.
Delimited geographic area
The Municipalities Antolín del Campo, Arismendi, Diaz, García, Gómez, Maneiro, Península de Macaneo and Tubores, of Margarita Island, Nueva Esparta State.
Characteristics that distinguish it from other chili peppers
Scientific studies of the morphological characteristics of the fruits of Margariteño peppers and other parts of the country, which show that the differences with other peppers are: the variable shape of the fruit (round, square or bell-shaped), the transverse wrinkles (moderately corrugated) and with an apex of the fruit mostly sunken and rose-shaped, occasionally slightly pointed.
Organoleptic tests (chili tasting), conducted by a panel of experts with the technical advice of the Academia de Somelier de Venezuela, and with the support of SAPI, which showed that the main difference of this chili with respect to others, is the intensity of its odor, the low permanence of flavor and pungency (spicy) and a low intensity.
Physicochemical analysis of the Aji Margariteño carried out by the Laboratory La Salle Nueva Esparta Foundation, which indicate that the pH of the Aji Margariteño is acid, with low level of fats and proteins, with a high content of carbohydrates that exceeds sixty percent (60%).
Tests of capsaicin carried out by laboratories of the Universidad de los Andes, which demonstrates the low levels of this substance that determines the spiciness in a fruit.
Kavitepuy Gran Sabana Honey
Granted Resolution N° 335 in the Industrial Property Bulletin N°630 dated May 23, 2024.
Product: Honey
Applicants: KAVYTEPUY COMMUNAL COUNCIL
Delimited geographic area
The Ikabarú parish of Bolivar state, particularly sector seven (7), Pemón territory of the Ikabarú Indigenous Community, of the Gran Sabana Municipality of Bolivar state of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
Distinguishing characteristics
The final product is a completely natural honey, without any added product that responds to the characteristics of the Kavitepuy community, Gran Sabana municipality, Bolívar state. The honey, according to the climatic season in which it is harvested, can have different degrees of viscosity, sweetness, color and aroma.
Due to the particularities of the Geographical Indications, it is recommended to request an in-person or virtual appointment at the Directorate of Geographical Indications before submitting the required documents, in order to receive the appropriate guidance (indicaciongeografica@gmail.com).
The required documents are as follows:
- Articles of Incorporation of the association
- Minutes of the assembly where the president is appointed.
- Technical report or specifications Informe técnico o pliego de condiciones
- Draft of the Regulatory Council
- Draft of the regulations of use
- Completed and duly signed form
Agricultural PGI
- Soil studies.
- Climate data.
- Physicochemical studies: quality standards.
- Organoleptic properties studies.
- Product quality studies, according to some of the COVENIN or other standards.
Livestock PGI
- Parameters of productive character, carcass and meat.
- Physicochemical characteristics of meat pieces.
- Studies on the identification of raw material for food in the area.
- Studies on organoleptic properties.
- Product quality study, according to some of the COVENIN standards or others.
The role of the institute is to accompany the actors involved in the process of drawing up the specifications; to define the product with quality linked to its geographic origin; to provide food for thought, not only on acceptable practices, tools and qualities, but also on the impact of each agreement at the local level and on the chain.
It also facilitates the process of identifying the link between the product and the biophysical environment, the human environment and the interaction between the two, as well as serving as a mediator between actors with divergent visions to help overcome conflicts and reach agreements.
For the granting of Geographical Indications, the same procedure established for trademarks is followed, as indicated in the Industrial Property Law of 1955, with the difference that there is a technical and legal evaluation process.
The phases are as follows
- Application for the Geographical Indication before the SAPI with the required documents.
- Examination of form by SAPI.
- Order of publication in the Bulletin and publication in the press.
- Technical inspection by experts to verify the quality and reputation of the product.
- Publication in the Bulletin for opposition purposes.
- Substantive review:
-Technical evaluation of the specifications by three (3) experts in the field.
-Evaluation of the legal aspects of the Regulatory Council and the Regulations for use. - Declaration. In the event that the requirements are met, the evaluations are favorable, and if there is no opposition, the declaration of the Geographical Indication is published in the Industrial Property Bulletin, and if there is no opposition, the declaration of the Geographical Indication is published in the Industrial Property Bulletin.
In the implementation phase of the Granted Geographical Indications (GIs), after their official recognition, SAPI's participation is to:
- Establish synergy with other institutions for the formalization of commercial aspects at the producer level.
- To promote quality compliance.
- Define the product with quality linked to the geographical origin.
1.- To watch over the compliance of the quality of the product.
2.- To manage quality tests with public and private institutions.
3.- To supervise producers to verify technical conditions.
4.- Propose changes in the Regulation of Use of the product with PGI.
5.- Manage the Authorization of Use of the PGI before the SAPI.
6.- Register producers who comply with the Regulation of Use.
7.- Establish sanctions for non-compliance with the Regulation of Use.
8.- Attempt legal actions against third parties in case of inappropriate use of the PGI.
9.- To endorse the origin of the product with PGI.
