Bottles of cocuy in front of the agave plant it is produced from. Photo: Twitter/Alba Ciudad.
At the end of 2024, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy RodrĂguez visited Lara state to deliver the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) through the Autonomous Service of Intellectual Property (SAPI) to cocuy liquor from Lara state to promote and strengthen the quality of the product made in Venezuela for export.
RodrĂguez made a tour of the national monument and cultural heritage site known as “The Flower of Venezuela,” where various cocuy producers attended, as well as other merchants who requested the granting of the PGI to other products produced in the region.
Vice President RodrĂguez, along with the minister of commerce and the Marca PaĂs Institute staff, toured different booths learning about the region’s products. Many of these producers also requested certification for products such as goat cheese, Tintorero hammocks, clay-derived products, and more.
“Let it be known that a product which has the PGI label is both a quality product and for export,” stated RodrĂguez.
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Cocuy from Lara
The particularities of the cocuy from Lara state are due to the ancestral knowledge passed from generation to generation and the characteristics of the area, which is a warm and semi-arid region where the agave is cultivated.
The green agave, the plant from which cocuy is derived, requires eight to fourteen years for maturation and goes through the following stages before being sold: baking, fermentation, distillation, and preparation of the final product. Each step is important when looking for the best quality.
As the SAPI explains:
What is a Protected Geographical Indication?
Per Article 22 of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights: “[They are] indications which identify a good as originating in the territory of a Member, or a region or locality in that territory, where a given quality, reputation or other characteristic of the good is essentially attributable to its geographical origin.”
What is a Designation of Origin?
Per Article 2 of the Lisbon Agreement: “[The] geographical denomination 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 geographic environment, including natural and human factors.”
(RedRadioVE) by Victoria Torres
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/BR/SF
