The Governing Council has given the green light to the Decree that will henceforth regulate the brand 'Gusto del Sur' for Andalusian products of differentiated quality and its processing, which is in charge of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development. The ultimate goal is to promote a regional brand of weight that is valued and recognized by consumers and guarantees the differentiated quality of Andalusian products. With this initiative, the Board also seeks to strengthen and improve the competitiveness of the Andalusian agri-food sector and promote its marketing and internationalization.
Gusto del Sur' will be specifically aimed at agri-food products from the Andalusian Autonomous Community. This distinctive will be compatible with the seal 'Andalusian Heart' for participation in professional fairs in this sector and in promotional activities that can be organized to disseminate the qualities of food and beverages of Andalusia.
The regional government puts this new brand at the service of the Andalusian sector to collaborate together in maintaining the positioning of Andalusia as a benchmark in quality food products. This brand replaces 'Certified Quality' to face a new era of food in the Andalusian Autonomous Community.
Among other foods and beverages, products protected by Protected Designations of Origin (PDO), Protected Geographical Indications (PGI) or Traditional Specialties Guaranteed (TSG), as well as artisan products, Organic and Integrated Production and certified by recognized private protocols, may be included in 'Gusto del Sur'. Entrepreneurs authorized to use the mark must include it on packaging to help facilitate the consumer's purchasing decision and obtain added value for their products.
The adhesion to 'Gusto del Sur' entails benefits for companies among which are, for example, enjoy support for the marketing and internationalization of products or priority in the promotion, training and agri-food representation actions carried out by the Ministry. In addition, they will also have access to continued support through advertising campaigns of the brand.
The Ministry of Agriculture plans to carry out a first phase of promotional actions of 'Gusto del Sur' aimed at companies in order to achieve a sufficient representation of the products of the Andalusian sector. Joining this initiative is very easy, since the Andalusian Government has opted for a greater administrative simplification compared to the processing of access to the previous quality mark of Andalusian products. To this end, formalities have been eliminated, the system used to provide documentation has been improved and electronic processing has been introduced as a way to carry out all the formalities.
The launch of this brand is supported by a study conducted by an external consultancy at the request of the Board and that, after analyzing the market and the response of business and citizens, concludes that 7 out of 10 Andalusian consumers value their products and are predisposed to try and consume a new quality brand. In the case of the business sector, the same favorable predisposition is observed when they learn that this initiative brings added value to the products and involves the institutional support of the Junta. In addition, this new brand will be complemented with 'Andalusian Heart' to which the companies of the sector are also adhered.