Oregano from Tacna: New Designation of Origin for Peru

The National Institute for the Defence of Competition and Protection of Intellectual Property (INDECOPI) granted the eleventh designation of origin (DO) for Peru: ‘Oregano from Tacna’. The certificate of registration ceremony highlighted the national pride that DOs can generate and the contribution they make to the economic reactivation of the region.

This new denomination will benefit more than 2 500 producers, allowing them to differentiate themselves in the market with consumers hopefully choosing their products over others’ at home and abroad. The product, with its unique characteristics, joins 10 other Peruvian designations of origin, thus consolidating the diversity and quality of local products.

Tacna Oregano, with its distinctive essential oils, stands out for its characteristic aroma, flavour and colour. The geographical area delimited for its cultivation covers 1 091 square kilometres in the four provinces of the Tacna Region. The natural characteristics of the four regions, and the traditional agricultural practices used, are what make Tacna Oregano so unique.

The granting of this DO gives the region an economic boost, positioning Tacna Oregano as a unique product of internationally recognised quality. The ceremony was attended by experts and producers, who reaffirmed their commitment to work together for the sustainable development of the region.

This achievement highlights the importance of DOs as tools to protect and promote the diversity of regional products, underlining the value of Tacna Oregano as a valuable heritage for the region and for Peru as a whole.

DOs are key intellectual property (IP) instruments because they preserve the authenticity and quality of nationally and internationally recognised emblematic products and contribute to the socio-economic development of the producing regions.

IP Key Latin America (an IP project led by the European Commission and implemented by the European Union Intellectual Property Office), aims to improve DO protection in the countries of the region by transmitting the multiple benefits of this tool to producers, consumers and society.

We congratulate the producers of Tacna Oregano and our colleagues at INDECOPI for this new DO.