From the first Denomination of Origin (DO), which was tequila, in 1974, to the last, which is Olinalá lacquers, in 2022, these protection schemes have allowed an expansion of each of the products.
Currently, Mexico has 18 Denominations of Origin that range from the most traditional drink in Mexico to products that are not so well known.
Denominations of Origin designate a product originating from a specific region, whose quality and characteristics are due solely to the environment in which they are developed, it is a sum of natural factors and human production. Mexico is one of the countries that has a wide variety of products that meet these characteristics.
In Mexico, Designations of Origin are national assets and their protection and defense constitutes a legitimate objective of public interest.
The Denominations of Origin also grant a right of exclusivity, we can talk about elements such as identity, quality, heritage, origin, reputation, tradition and guarantee regulatory recognition and the recognition of a distinctive product of a region and a country that identifies it. with the same at a national and international level.
In Mexico, the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property is the body in charge of issuing declarations of protection of Denomination of Origin and authorizing it, since the Mexican State is the owner of the rights.
“Then we have the right to exclusivity, security and trust, added value, traceability, and certainty for the consumer, in addition to having the elements to have resources to defend and combat illegality,” María Martha explained on the subject. Becerra, responsible for Finished Product Assurance of the Tequila Regulatory Council (CRT).
Additionally, he said that through the Denominations of Origin, regional development and competitiveness are promoted and the standardization of product production processes is guaranteed and the value of brands, companies and all links in the companies are raised. productive chains linked to the Designation of Origin.
According to the specialist, the Denominations of Origin facilitate access to the different markets of greatest value for each of the products.
“The Denomination of Origin is the beginning to create other articulated and structured products in various areas, including the tourist area,” added María Bertha Becerra.
Tequila production soars
50 years ago the first Designation of Origin was approved in Mexico, which was for tequila.
Although the first standard for tequila had been in place since 1949, it was not until 1974 when it was authorized for the traditional Mexican drink.
In this regard, María Martha Becerra explained that for this recognition to be granted, three elements had to be met.
First, there must be a general declaration that must be issued by the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property; Subsequently, there must be an official Mexican standard of mandatory compliance for this product with Designation of Origin. In addition, it must have a Conformity Assessment body that allows these characteristics of the standards to be met.
“These three elements are fundamental to the work of a Denomination of Origin; However, once the Denomination of Origin is declared, the procedure to protect it begins. It should be noted that this is not an achievement but the beginning of a responsibility that is manifested through sustainable maintenance in all aspects and in all the links that make up the production chain,” he commented.
It should be noted that in the case of tequila there is a before and after the creation of the Tequila Regulatory Council (CRT) as the body responsible for verifying regulatory compliance through conformity assessment.
“This is where a very interesting change arises; We analyzed what tequila was in 1974, what tequila was 30 years ago, when the Tequila Regulatory Council was born… It was a product that had no recognition, a disjointed product, a product without structure of the links in the production chain. and at the moment in which the CRT is established, a watershed is established to organize the productive chain and this has been a generator of development and begins to consolidate the growth and development of this designation of origin at a national and international level.”
Following the recognition of tequila as a Denomination of Origin, the growth of the traditional Mexican drink has been exponential. In 1974, around 100 million liters of tequila were produced. Last year, 600 million liters of tequila were produced.
Mexican Denominations of Origin
1. Tequila (1974).
2. Mezcal (1994).
3. Talavera (1997).
4. Café Veracruz (2000).
5. Bacanora (2000).
6. Amber from Chiapas (2000).
7. Sotol (2002).
8. Mango Ataulfo del Soconusco Chiapas (2003).
9. Café Chiapas (2003).
10. Charanda (2003).
11. Papantla Vanilla (2009).
12. Habanero Chile from the Yucatan Peninsula (2010).
13. Rice from the State of Morelos (2010).
14. Cacao Grijalva (2017).
15. Chile Yahualica (2018).
16. Raicilla (2019).
17. Feather (2020).
18. Olinalá Lacquers (2022).
Protection of Chile Yahualica causes an increase in brands
The Declaration of Protection of the Denomination of Origin of Yahualica Chile made in 2018 allowed the growth of brands, but the benefits did not reach producers as expected.
The Yahualica area is located in the Altos Sur region of the State of Jalisco, and its agriculture specializes in the production of tree chili, whose quality or characteristics are special to this region.
The fruit of the Yahualica Chile is characterized by a green color when it is immature; and at maturity, for a bright red color and a general average of 71 seeds per fruit. Its cultivation, through which the fruit that is sold in a dry state is obtained, goes through fourteen stages: seedling production; preparation of land for transplantation, determination of population density, transplantation, irrigation, fertilization, cultivation work during irrigation, combat and control of weeds, phytosanitary management, harvest, seed selection for the next cycle, dehydration or drying of the fruit, classification and packaging.
The geographical area that includes the Yahualica Denomination of Origin is made up of 11 municipalities: nine of them located in the Los Altos region of the State of Jalisco and corresponding to: Yahualica de González Gallo, Mexticacán, Teocaltiche, Cañadas de Obregón, Jalostotitlán, Encarnación de Díaz, Villa Hidalgo, Cuquío and Ixtlahuacán del Río. And two municipalities in the State of Zacatecas: Nochistlán de Mejía and Apulco.
According to the specialist, the delivery of the Denomination of Origin recognition of Chile Yahualica caused production to increase and more brands to appear on the market, but it is notable that there are fewer and fewer producers.
“In the first year, when the designation was achieved, the possibility of farmers having an economic benefit had already been enhanced; they sold their product at a low price and once the designation of origin was obtained, the price tripled, but currently “The price is low,” explained Irma Salamanca, who is secretary of the Yahualica Chile Regulatory Council.
Currently, the kilo paid to the producer is 70 pesos and the highest price they obtained was 130 pesos, so many preferred to venture into other crops such as agave.
For this reason, many producers began to register brands and market more product than dedicating themselves to cultivation.
“The chili process is very laborious, you cannot advance steps because if you do not lose recognition, it is precisely because of the process of cultivation, harvesting and drying, everything has its time,” he clarified.
Producers decrease
According to the interviewee, currently there are not even 50 producers, a smaller number compared to the 300 that existed when the Denomination of Origin was granted.
“This is because they do not consider it profitable. In order to continue being Chile Yahualica, they need to follow the entire process from growing the seedling, then transplanting it to the ground, monitoring the processes that do not add agrochemicals or external agents, then the issue of harvesting, which takes specific times, and then drying. ”.
He recognized that due to the long production process, the sales price makes it unprofitable for the producer.
What does the Law say?
Federal Law for the Protection of Industrial Property (LFPPI) of Mexico, Article 264:
“Denomination of origin is understood to mean a product linked to a geographical area from which it originates, as long as its quality, characteristics or reputation are due exclusively or essentially to the geographical origin of the raw materials, the production processes, as well as the as the natural and cultural factors that affect it. Once the declaration of protection of a designation of origin has been issued, it must have a specific Official Mexican Standard.”
The Declaration of Protection of the Denomination of Origin is not in itself an achievement, but rather the beginning of a course of its sustainable maintenance (in all its aspects and links of the production chain).
CT