MEDELLIN – The Colombian Coffee Growers Federation (FNC) and the Colombian Superintendence of Industry and Commerce (SIC) organized the seminar “Challenges of Denominations of Origin and the International Market” under the frame of ExpoEspeciales 2014. The leadership of Café de Colombia in recognizing and protecting regional Denominations of Origin (DO) through cutting edge technology was emphasized.
International experts identified DOs as models of development because they provide significant benefits to those who produce them and to the regions where they are produced. Experts agreed that the recognition, protection and proper use of DOs for Mexican tequila, Colombian coffee, and Jijona and Alicante nougat have led to substantial economic development.
Luis F. Samper, Chief Communications and Marketing Officer of the FNC, presented the FNC’s ambitious strategy that seeks to protect the origin of Café de Colombia. The strategy has effective legal instruments that can be implemented in different regions of the world and uses cutting edge technology such as the Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) to detect violations to origin. This differentiation and segmentation strategy has increased the demand and recognition of specialty coffees from different Colombian regions and reinforced the image of Colombia as the origin of high quality Arabica coffees.
According to Mr. Samper, “If supply is segmented, higher value can be obtained. Regional denominations of origin seek to empower coffee growers and generate higher income to coffee growing families. Segmenting supply allows us to grasp consumer surplus.”
Ramón González, Director of the Tequila Regulatory Council (CRT) and President of Origin International, stated that the CRT was created twenty years after tequila was recognized as a DO. This led to a substantial increase on the sales and value of tequila.
Agave, used for producing tequila, has stimulated the economic development of the 181 municipalities where it is produced. Direct benefits to producers have been complemented by the increasing number of visitors to the area and by the additional income produced by the “Tequila Trail”. In 2013 alone, 817,000 people visited the trail leading to nearly US$ 37 million in revenue to local communities.
Federico Moncunill, Secretary General of the Regulatory Council of Jijona and Alicante Nougat, stated that the recognition and protection of DOs is a model of development that is gaining strength and being consolidated worldwide. According to Mr. Moncunill, “There is a progressive increase in the implementation and extension of Geographical Indications. When a product is recognized as a denomination of origin, it becomes part of our heritage.”
465 brands are under the Jijona and Alicante Nougat DO. Together they account for an annual production of 6 million kilos of nougat and 10,5 million kilos of traditional related products.
About ExpoEspeciales 2014
The Colombian Coffee Growers Federation (FNC) organizes ExpoEspeciales as part of its value added strategy to promote and provide visibility to the production of high quality coffees from different Colombian coffee growing regions. The event is an attractive scenario for consumers, buyers and professionals of the coffee growing industry from different continents.
ExpoEspeciales 2014 is supported by the Antioquia Origin of Specialty Coffees Program, which resulted of an agreement between the FNC, the Western Coffee Grower Cooperative, and the Coffee Grower Cooperatives from the Andes, Antioquia and Salgar.
The event takes place annually in different Colombian cities. It integrates the coffee value chain and brings together producers, traders, visitors and coffee lovers in one same space.
Besides being a showcase for coffees from different Colombian regions, the event is a propitious scenario for displaying the coffee industry’s trends and innovations in the domestic and international arena. ExpoEspeciales favors the exchange of knowledge and commercial, cultural and academic experiences among its attendees. It has become Latin America’s preferred event for establishing business relations in an environment that strengthens and stimulates the coffee industry.
