EUIPO reaches significant milestone with GIs mentorship initiative: all participating MERCOSUR producer groups unite in Brazil to advance geographical indications

The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) co-organised the event #CONEXIÓNVerde in Belém of Pará in Brazil, in collaboration with the other implementing partners of the AL-INVEST Verde programme: the development organisation sequa, the International Italo-Latin American Organisation (IILA), and the International and Ibero-American Foundation for Public Administration and Policy (FIAPP), in the context of the EU-funded IP cooperation project AL-INVEST Verde IPR or Component 3 the Programme.

The EUIPO, through the AL-INVEST Verde IPR project, aimed to promote sustainability in Latin America through public and private sector support including the role of intellectual property, particularly geographical indications. It included an overview of the achievements of the AL-INVEST Verde programme in general and that of the AL-INVEST Verde IPR project and in particular, its mentorship initiative.

The EUIPO facilitated the participation of leading international expert speakers to discuss the link between intellectual property rights (IPRs) and sustainable value chains, particularly the relation between traceability and GIs in the context of the Coffee Platform. Additionally, a practical mentorship workshop was organised for all the producer groups who participate in the AL-INVmentor programme for the effective use of geographical indications. They are the producers of the following regional products:

Argentina: Té Argentino, Argentine tea, from the province of Misiones and Northeast of Corrientes, Miel de flores de Atamisqui, honey from the Atamisqui flower, from Santiago del Estero, and Pimentón, paprika powder, from the Calchaquí Valleys.

Brazil: Açaí berries from Codajás in the state of Amazonas, Cocoa and its derivatives from the state of Rondônia, and Coffees from the Vulcanian region of the Planalto de Poços de Caldas in the State of Minas Gerais.

Paraguay: Miel de Abeja de los Humedales de Ñeembucu, honey from the Ñeembucu wetlands.

Thus far, all the mentoring sessions of the AL-INVmentor programme 1 MERCOSUR took place on-site with each participating producer group. Having representatives of all the 7 mentorees together for the first time was therefore a critical milestone for the coming together of the mentorship programme. The practical workshop not only focused on how to position GI products to an informed and engaged public to highlight its unique attributes, but also included guiding the creation of sales messages that highlight the cultural value, sustainability and authenticity of their origin-linked products.

The EUIPO is an international GI registration authority that builds on decades of expertise leading the EU’s international cooperation activities on IP rights, including geographical indications. The EUIPO was recently entrusted with managing the registration of craft and industrial GIs at EU level. The first applications can be filed from 1 December 2025.