By the end of this month, Brazil expects to have a list with the number of brands of liquor registered abroad under the name of "cachaça" (Brazilian sugar cane liquor). The survey will also reveal which countries are exporting distilled beverages using this authentically Brazilian brand name.
According to Ricardo Cavalcante, executive secretary of the Cachaça Sectorial Chamber in the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Supply, the survey will cover the main countries in which cachaça is consumed.
The countries of the European Union, the United States, China, Japan, and Chile were selected as strategic markets. The preparation of the list will be the responsibility of the Brazilian embassies.
On the basis of the results of the investigation, Brazil intends to open negotiations with the governments of the countries that import the product to suspend purchases of beverages that bear the "cachaça" label but are not produced in Brazil.
Brazil will also attempt to cancel the registration of products that use the brand name improperly abroad. Cavalcante says that the situation of each country will be examined in detail to define the negotiating strategy that will be employed.
In Cavalcante’s opinion, the protection of cachaça involves Brazilian commercial and cultural interests.
"The moment we are able to protect cachaça, we will be the only ones who can produce it, enhancing its value on the international market."
Many countries, he explains, "already defend their typical products, such as Portugal in the case of Port wine." Besides the commercial aspect, "cachaça belongs to Brazil’s cultural patrimony, like the samba and Carnaval," he notes.
Agência Brasil
