Gramado aims to obtain the seal of geographical indication for artisanal chocolate
On April 17, 2020, the Law No. 13.990 was sanctioned granting the title of National Capital of Artisanal Chocolate to the city of Gramado, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The Secretariat of Tourism and the Gramado Chocolate Association (ACHOCO) aim the granting of Gramado Chocolate Geographical Indication seal, based on article 177 of the Industrial Property Law, since the municipality is known as the center for the manufacture of artisanal chocolate.
According to the Secretary of Tourism, Rafael Carniel de Almeida, “the chocolate with origin seal from our city observes minimum standards of cocoa in its composition and cannot contain any other type of vegetable fat other than derived from cocoa, besides beingproduced in the city. This process is in advance stage within the Brazilian Patent and Trademark Office (BPTO)”.
The application for the Geographical indication of Artisanal Chocolate (Application No. BR402018000004-3) was published in the BPTO’s Official Gazette on April 07, 2020, and the period of 60 (sixty) days for third parties to oppose against the geographical indication application has started.
After the granting of the title and the possibility of obtaining the seal for the chocolate, the secretary states that “the chocolate industry can collaborate even more for the diversification of our economic policy, taking the experience of Gramado far beyond our current markets“.