Exports of the Los Antiguos Valley Cherry Designation of Origin will get underway in the new season
Cherries grown in Patagonia’s Los Antiguos Valley will have their own Designation of Origin in the upcoming season following the completion of a successful pilot project to validate the quality management systems underpinning the geographical seal. It is the first time Argentina has registered a DO for fresh fruit.
Speaking to TiempoSur, Federico Guerendiain, manager of the Oasis Cooperative – one of the most important packing facilities in Los Antiguos – said: “We undertook this project six months ago. Although we were technically in a position to use the seal, we lacked the necessary experience, so we hired a consultancy firm funded by the Federal Investment Council to develop a procedure manual for implementing the Denomination of Origin seal and to train the members of the managing association.
“We completed all the necessary steps; the consultants visited the farms and packing plants in Los Antiguos, and – under an agreement with the service – we purchased two pieces of imported equipment. These will measure the three parameters that determine whether the fruit qualifies for the Denomination of Origin seal: firmness, colour, and sweetness.”
Anibal Caminiti, manager of the Association of Integrated Producers or Argentinean Cherries Association (Capci) CAPCI described the new quality seal as an unprecedented milestone for Argentina as it is “the first fresh fruit in the country to obtain a Denomination of Origin”.
During the pilot project, critical points were identified to fine-tune various procedures and consolidate a common management system. This system enables operations based on unified criteria, despite the diversity of production sites, producers, and management practices.
To this end, checklists were applied at 10 production sites and the two participating packing facilities. Training sessions were conducted for farm and packing staff as well as producers; these included general training, informational talks and sessions for producers regarding the DO’s characteristics and implementation process – and specific training on procedures and controls.
Furthermore, a pilot run was conducted to simulate the entire process – from the farm stage through to the procedures required for exporting with the DO logo – in order to identify issues or difficulties that could be resolved before the upcoming season, when the first shipments will take place.
