EXAMPLES OF INVENTORIES 3 examples Aquitaine in France

EXAMPLES OF INVENTORIES

3 examples • Aquitaine in France • Swiss culinary heritage • Produits du Jura vaudois

Possible objectives and contexts • Development of the tourist image of the region based on the food heritage • Evaluation of potential with a view to defining and implementing a specific policy for GIs • Registration and protection of GI products • Preservation of local resources based on the labelling of products from a “nature reserve”

Inventory of regional products in Aquitaine Region in France • APRA: Committee of Promotion of the products PDO-PGI of the Aquitaine Region in France • Political organisation, depending of the Regional Council • Objective • Get information about the traditional products which are not yet registered as PDO-PGI • Realisation 2009 -2010 • Results • A data base with 134 products • Including also some recipes from traditional products (ex. Cassoulet)

Realisation • 2 persons (young scientists - interships) • Costs: 20’ 000 euros • 1 year work altogether • Grid of data collection • 4 parts (presentation of the products with geographical area / economic data / communication / development issues as formulated by the producers / contacts) • Collection of data based on desk research / Meetings with the producers

Limits • Data-base completed but. . . No following project of development for the products • Producers have just received a file with the data concerning their product, but do not have had a final presentation of the whole results of the inventory • Objectives at the beginning were not clear • No clear mission for the 2 consultants • Some products are facing severe problems and expect a support

Lessons learnt • If the inventory is made without any project linked with a potential development, there is a huge risk of complete loss of concrete follow-up actions • Producers who give information on their products expect a feed-back and concrete support after the completion of the inventory • There a lot of origin-linked products, also not traditional, and a lot of good and successful products

Swiss culinary heritage • Project was initiated by a member of the Swiss Parliament, who initiated the „Week of taste“ in Switzerland • 2 years after, the Swiss Government agreed to build-up a project together with funding of the Swiss Cantons and some private sponsors (mainly foundations) • Objectives • Make the Swiss closer to their culinary heritage • Awareness of the value and the diversity of the traditional Swiss products

Realisation • An ad-hoc association was created to steer the project • A scientific committee was set-up and gave feed-backs, especially on the methodology of selection and of the type of data and the method of datagathering • Central project team (7 people) + local correspondents (26) + network of professional bodies • Method was desk-research and interviews with key-people • • Budget: 2. 2 millions euros 75% public subsidies + 25% private sector grants 3 years project 7 persons were involved, mostly scientists • Results • Data-base available on-line with 400 products • A print-out of all the files for the cantonal authorities (partly to be found)

Which products belong to the inventory? Switzerland : 1. Traditional (> 40 years) • • • Tradition as a central element of “culinary heritage” “New” products are not “collective, local” products : many of them are created by firms and protected through a trademark. Is it still a “collective heritage” ? 40 years means that the product is likely to remain alive in the future 2. Currently available

Which products belong to the inventory? Switzerland : 3. Close link to Switzerland (as a whole or in its regions) • Specific production know-how (e. g. Gruyère or Emmentaler cheese)

Which products belong to the inventory? 3. Close link to Switzerland (as a whole or in its regions) • Specific consumption habits (e. g. “Biberli” ≈ gingerbread of Appenzell)

Which products belong to the inventory? 3. Close link to Switzerland (as a whole or in its regions) • Identity (e. g. Rye Bread from Valais)

Which products belong to the inventory? 3. Close link to Switzerland (as a whole or in its regions) • Local varieties with social significance ( e. g. “Cardon” = cardoon of Geneva)

Produits du Jura vaudois • Small Valley in the Jura Mountains in Switzerland • Inventory was initiated by an association of municipalities „Parc du Jura Vaudois“ • Objectives • Identify the products • Evaluate their potential • Identify the willingness to participate to a collective promotion strategy • Funding was very little, inventory was made by a student • It has taken 6 months • As a result, a complete document was elaborated, with a list of products, evaluation of economic significance and willingness to take part of a collective action

Follow-up project • An association was created among the farmers, cheese- makers and butchers • Funding was fees paid by the members and public subsidy • Actions were at the beginning to organise promotion events in the region and in the neighbouring towns • 8 years after, the public authorities made a condition to continue the financial support for the association to join a bigger association formed at cantonal level • Web-site was elaborated at cantonal level

New projects (2012) • A shop will be set-up in the Lausanne-Ouchy place (tourists are targeted), with a restaurant • A logistic plate-form will be built in the centre of Lausanne, to gather the products and sell it to the urban consumers • Funding is partly private (farmers union) and partly public (regional authorities)