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What is Geographical Indication?
Geographical Indication is a recognition of the differentiated quality of an agricultural, food or artisan product. When a product has a Geographical Indication , it means that the product was produced in a certain place, in a certain way and that its characteristics obey exclusively the natural and human factors of the geography of its site of origin. This means that the geographical, environmental, historical and cultural characteristics of the site of origin, make the product something unique and special, that is not produced in that way anywhere else in the world.
What certifies a Geographical Indication?
- A place: Where?
- A know how: How?
- A history of the reasons for why it is made there and in that way: Why?
Who certifies a Geographical Indication?
A Geographical Indication is a way to protect the intellectual property of a group of artisans, farmers or producers of a determined area of the world. Each country has its official accredited body to certify Geographical Indication and intellectual property, which acts on the basis of international intellectual property agreements and in harmony with WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization).
There are several Geographical Indications around the world, applied equally to food and beverage products as well as artisanal products. Some examples include:
| Product | Geographical Indication | Place |
| Food | Roquefort Cheese | Causses del Aveyron region. South of France |
| Colombian Coffee | Colombia | |
| Mallorca’s olives | Mallorca, Spain | |
| Alcoholic Beverages | Champagne | Champagne, France |
| Mexican Tequila | Jalisco, Mexico | |
| Rioja Wines | La Rioja region, Spain | |
| Crafts | Chiapas Ambar | Chiapas, Mexico |
| San Jancinto’s Weaving | San Jacinto, Colombia | |
| Raquira’s Ceramics | Raquira, Colombia |
Which Geographical Indication do our products have and what does it certify?
The Geographical Indication of some of our products is “Tejeduría de San Jacinto” or “Weaving of San Jancinto”
The Geographical Indication Tejeduría de San Jacinto only certifies quilts, hammocks, tablecloths and napkins made out of cotton in San Jacinto by artisans this way:
Where? San Jacinto, 120 Km (74.6 miles) from Cartagena, Colombia
How? Manually, in a vertical loom, with hanks of cotton that they currently buy from suppliers in another city, and that they prepare and dye with 100% natural dyes.
Why? Because it is a tradition with more than 500 years that has been handed down from generation to generation to the present day. The native Zenúes who were in this zone when the Spaniards arrived in the XV and XVI centuries, cultivated and harvested cotton, making hammocks where they rested. Today, cotton is no longer harvested in the area, but artisans weave hammocks in the same way as their indigenous ancestors did, on a vertical loom and with cotton purchased from companies in Barranquilla.
Latinlán markets the following products with Geographical Indication “Tejeduría de San Jacinto”:
Cotton Hammock
Cotton Mops Hammock
Cotton Quilt
Cotton Tablecloth
In addition, the fabric of our tote bags, scarves and shawls is made using the same technique of more than five centuries in vertical loom in San Jacinto.
OUR TEAM
Marcela Leonor Posada
Co-founder – Foundation Latinlán
