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The National Institute of Intellectual Property (INPI) published in November 2023 the geographical indication (GI) recognition for the cocoa beans produced in an area that includes 52 municipalities in the state of Rondônia, in northern Brazil. The product now has an indication of origin (IP), adding to the other 118 Brazilian geographical indications.
The first historical records of the existence of cocoa in Rondônia date back to 1790. However, commercial planting only began in the 1970s, when efforts to increase cocoa production in Brazil commenced. At that time, the plan was to implement a conservationist crop with similar characteristics to its forest. As a result, Rondônia was, by 2003, already in first place in the primary production of cocoa beans in the Western Amazon.
Records sent to INPI also showed the existence of two important marketing appeals related to Rondônia’s cocoa. The first, of an eco-friendly nature, is that cocoa farming requires the preservation of the native forest in order to maintain the amount of shade needed to grow the product. The second is the superior physical and chemical qualities of the beans grown in the region, when compared, for example, to West Africa, which is remarked as an international standard.
The uniqueness of Rondônia’s cocoa is due to the amalgamation of rare characteristics, such as the peculiarities of the soil, the microclimate, and the method of production. This is what guarantees a distinctive flavor and the properties that make it particularly suitable for the production of chocolate foods of different consistencies and flavors.
The Importance of Geographical Indication
GI recognition promotes products and their non-transferable historical and cultural heritage. Such a heritage encompasses several significant aspects: a defined area of production; specificity and authenticity in developing products; and discipline regarding the methods of production, in order to ensure quality standards. This is what grants exclusive notoriety to producers within a limited area.
While the product’s quality is given a special status, it is also protected by this recognition as being unique to that region. Thus, GIs contribute to preserving biodiversity, knowledge, and natural resources. They are an extremely positive aid to the local economy and to the regional dynamics, bringing true meaning in the creation of local value.
Brazilian Cocoa Production
Cocoa is native to the Amazon and since the 17th century has been planted as an agricultural product, rationally grown with the implementation of cultivated areas, genetic improvement, and seedling production. In the mid-eighteenth century, cacao was taken to the south of the state of Bahia, where the culture expanded, being, nowadays, the second-largest producing region.
Rondônia’s cocoa joins other three geographical indications (GIs) registered by the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) and ratified by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Supply (MAPA): cocoa from the south of Bahia (in Northeast Brazil); cocoa from Linhares, Espírito Santo (in Southeast Brazil); and an indication of origin from Tomé-Açu, in Pará (in Northern Brazil). These certifications confirm Brazilian cocoa’s quality and also guarantee its traceability and fair labor conditions, among other requirements.
Currently, the state of Pará has become the number one national producer, adding US$ 334 million of income per year, more than half the total value moved by the sector in the country (US$ 650 million). According to data provided by the IBGE, in the 2020-21 harvest, Brazil produced 270 thousand tons of cocoa beans, of which 150 thousand tons were harvested in the Northern Region, corresponding to more than 55%.
Brazilian chocolate is among the best in the world. It is acknowledged as quite aromatic, with floral notes and a fruity acidity. Such flavor may be found in chocolate and many cocoa products, like nibs, beans, cocoa honey, cocoa powder, jelly, pulp, and many others. But there is much more to Brazilian chocolate than its classic ingredients. The mixture of cocoa paste, cocoa butter, and sugar might also prompt sustainable production, technology, quality, biodiversity, and development of rural communities.