Publication of an application for registration pursuant to Article 6(2) of Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs

(2003/C 187/02)

This publication confers the right to object to the application pursuant to Articles 7 and 12d of the abovementioned Regulation. Any objection to this application must be submitted via the competent authority in a Member State, in a WTO member country or in a third country recognised in accordance with Article 12(3) within a time limit of six months from the date of this publication. The arguments for publication are set out below, in particular under 4.6, and are considered to justify the application within the meaning of Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92.

COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) No 2081/92

APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION: ARTICLE 5

PDO ( ) PGI (x)

National application No: IG/02/98

1. Responsible department in the Member State: Name: Institut national des appellations d'origine

Address: 138, avenue des Champs Elysées - F-75008 Paris

Tel. (33-1) 53 89 80 00

Fax (33-1) 42 25 57 97

2. Applicant group: 2.1. Name: Association Brioche de Vendée

2.2. Address: 10 bis, Place Turgot - F-85000 La Roche sur Yon

Tel. (33-2) 51 47 34 56

Fax (33-2) 51 47 34 60

E-mail: info@produits-de-vendee.com

2.3. Composition: small-scale producers/industrial producers/distributors

3. Type of product: Annex 1 to Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92 of 14 July 1992

Category 2.4. "Bread, pastry, cakes, confectionery, biscuits and other baker's wares".

4. Specification: (Summary of requirements under Article 4(2))

4.1. Name: Brioche Vendéenne

4.2. Description: The Brioche Vendéenne is a golden, plaited brioche, available in round or oval shapes or as a stick. It is always marketed fresh, whole or sliced, and wrapped in food-quality paper. Frozen brioche and the manufacture of Brioche Vendéenne from frozen dough are not allowed. The brioche is manufactured from a sugar- and egg-rich dough. In addition to having the specific flavour given by these ingredients, the brioche has a balanced aroma of butter and alcohol or other fragrance based on vanilla or orange blossom. The inside of the brioche is a homogeneous yellow. It has a honeycombed structure, with a light, stringy but melting texture in the mouth. The brioche weighs a minimum of 300 grams.

4.3. Geographical area: The Brioche Vendéenne is manufactured, sliced and packaged in the following geographical area:

- Département de la Vendée: All districts

and adjacent areas of the following départements:

- Loire-Atlantique:

all the department south of the Loire, i.e. the districts of: Clisson, Aigrefeuille-sur-Maine, Légé, Machecoul, Saint-Philbert de Grand Lieu, Bourgneuf-en-Retz, Pornic, Paimboeuf, Saint-Père-en-Retz, Le Pellerin, Bouaye, Rezé, Vertou, Basse Goulaine, Vallet, Le Loroux Bottereau, Nantes (south of the Loire), Saint-Herblain Ouest-Indre (south of the Loire);

- Maine-et-Loire:

all the department south of the Loire (as far as Saumur), i.e. the districts of: Champtoceaux, Montevrault, Beaupréau, Montfaucon, Cholet, Cholet 1, Cholet 2, Cholet 3, Chemillé, Saint-Florent-Le-Vieil, Vihiers, Montreuil-Bellay, Saumur, Saumur Sud, Doué-la-Fontaine, Gennes, Ponts-de-Cé, Thouarcé;

- Deux-Sèvres:

that part of the department that is a continuation of the Département de la Vendée in la Plaine and le Marais, i.e. the districts of: Mauléon, Argenton Chateau, Bressuire, Cerizay, Montcoutant, Parthenay, Secondigny, Coulonges-sur-l'Autize, Mazières-en-Gâtine, Champdeniers, Saint-Maixent, Niort, Fontenay-Rohan-Rohan, Mauzé-sur-le-Mignon, Thouars, Saint-Varent, Prahecq;

- Charente-Maritime:

that part of the department that is a continuation of the Département de la Vendée in la Plaine and le Marais, i.e. the districts of: Marans, Courçon, La Rochelle, La Jarrie, Surgères, Aigrefeuille-d'Aunis, Tonnay-Charente, Rochefort.

4.4. Proof of origin: Historical background

The original composition of the product was based on main ingredients from a variety of sources:

- cereals, well established from the Middle Ages in Bocage, Plaine and Marais, as the abbeys of la Grainetière, Grammont, Maillezais, Nieul sur l'Autize, Mareuil sur Lay, etc., testify,

- milk and butter, produced in le Bocage and le Marais, promoted by an ocean climate,

- eggs, free-range eggs particularly abundant around Easter,

- alcohol, from the area (local spirit), from the south (cognac) or from abroad (rum imported through Nantes and La Rochelle).

Traceability

The Brioche Vendéenne can be manufactured only on premises in the geographical area. Each brioche is individually packed and the bag gives the information necessary to trace the origin of the product. Each production batch is identified by a lot number that allows the date of production and the recipe used to be traced. Each label and bag is numbered.

The information on the packaging used by each manufacturer allows the production batch to be traced and, consequently, the origin of the raw materials used. The origin of the raw materials is checked on delivery on the basis of the delivery documents (labels, delivery notes, invoices) that accompany them.

4.5. Method of production: The Brioche Vendéenne is manufactured from the following raw materials:

- flour (45 to 55 %),

- fresh eggs ( > 14 %) or fresh, whole liquid egg with a minimum of 22 % dry extract,

- fresh or concentrated butter ( > 12.5 %),

- sucrose and/or inverted sugar ( > 9 %),

- fermented dough or dough with a starter culture (obligatory),

- fresh baker's yeast (< 2 %),

- alcohol (0,5 % undenatured spirit, rum or cognac at 44 % minimum),

- salt (0,8 to 1 %), fresh water and/or fresh, pasteurised or UHT milk (< 8 %),

- optional flavourings (vanilla or orange blossom).

The flour is made from breadmaking wheats from the following regions: Centre, Grand Ouest (Loire Region, Brittany, Normandy and Poitou-Charentes), Beauce and Brie (geographical references: "Code et Nomenclature des Régions Agricoles de la France au 1er janvier 1971", published in 1974 under the joint authority of INSEE and SCEES). Both small-scale and industrial manufacturers and distributors choose these wheats from these regions because of their technological characteristics and their quality: the flour must have a baking capacity of at least W=180 and the total protein content must be at least 10,5 %.

The eggs and the milk are from the geographical area.

The butter is from the geographical area and the Grand-Ouest Region of France (Loire Region, Brittany, Normandy and Poitou-Charentes).

The salt is from the Atlantic coast between the Gironde Estuary and the southern coast of Brittany, particularly l'île de Ré, Noirmoutier and Guérande.

Continuous kneading is not allowed. After kneading, the dough is given a long fermentation, known as the "pousse". This can be done in two ways:

- the "pousse directe" of a minimum of four hours at room temperature,

- or the "pousse dirigée" of 24 hours at low temperature; this method is used by small-scale manufacturers because of the way they organise production.

This long fermentation comprises two phases:

- the "pointage" phase, during which the characteristic flavours develop,

- the "apprêt" phase, during which carbon dioxide is produced, creating the airy dough that is characteristic of the Brioche Vendéenne.

The long fermentation time and these two characteristic phases are responsible for the specific character of the Brioche Vendéenne with respect to other types of brioche. It is braided manually and then is browned and cooked. The brioches are cooked exclusively in ovens known as "tunnel" or "multi-deck" ovens. Revolving or fan ovens are not allowed. The brioches are cooked at a low temperature for 20 to 45 minutes.

The brioches are packed in a transparent bag, sealed to ensure freshness, with special labelling. The brioches are best consumed within 21 days when sold whole, 19 days when sliced and 5 days in the case of the specially prepared brioches weighing several kilos. The brioches must be laid out in a single layer for transport and insulated or refrigerated vehicles must be used for transport of more than 80 km. When placed on the market, the Brioche Vendéenne must be intact, displayed in a dry place and protected from sunlight.

4.6. Link: Historically, it was the custom to make a cake rich in eggs and sugar for Easter (gâteau pascal, brioche pacaude) and for weddings (gâteau de la mariée, gâteau de noces). The sugar content, higher than that of other brioches, is explained by the Vendeans' desire for a festive cake at the end of a winter period with its shortages and diet of less-tasty pain gris (a bread made from a mixture of flours). Little by little, small-scale commercial production and then industrial production replaced home production, perpetuating the culinary tradition.

From 1950, the term "brioche" began to be used to describe all these products.

The fame and reputation of the Brioche Vendéenne has increased since it began to be marketed in the capital, as tourism has grown in the Vendée (linked to growing reputation of local craft producers) and a dynamic baking industry distributing its products nationwide has developed.

Today, the Brioche Vendéenne generates significant economic activity. According to the statistical institutes, the plaited Brioche Vendéenne accounts for 11 % of the French pastry market and 17 % of the brioche market, with production of approximately 15000 tonnes.

Production under the PGI involves 800 to 1000 small-scale bakers and pastrycooks and 900 workers in the industrial sector. In addition, some large local retailers make the Brioche Vendéenne in their own traditional bakeries.

The deep roots of the Brioche Vendéenne in the region, its heritage and its socioeconomic fabric explain why small-scale and industrial producers have acted to protect the recipe's link with the locality and ensure that the product remains special and is not misappropriated by other manufacturers. Producers agreed that there was a need to identify the origin of the brioche and looked at ways in which protection could be provided.

The special properties and the characteristics of the Brioche Vendéenne derive, to a great extent, from the production method. The use of a starter culture at the beginning of the processes gently initiates fermentation by activating the lactic ferments. This, together with the use of yeast, gives a light, airy brioche.

Baker's yeast, together with the starter culture, promotes and accelerates fermentation. The use together of a starter culture and yeast ensures a balanced action (gentle initially and then strong) and produces an airy, moist brioche with a stringy but melting texture. The presence of water or milk promotes fermentation and this quite unique melting texture.

In addition, the Brioche Vendéenne has a high sugar content. In fact, the brioche has to be cooked at a low temperature so that the sugar is not caramelised. Unlike other brioches with a higher total fat content, the Brioche Vendéenne is made exclusively with butter. The Brioche Vendéenne is also flavoured with alcohol or other flavours.

Together, all these elements, linked to both its composition and its method of production, make the Brioche Vendéenne a typical product, with characteristic shapes, colour and taste.

4.7. Inspection body: Name: ACLAVE

Address: 56, rue Roger Salengro - F-85013 La Roche sur Yon Cedex

Tel. (33-2) 51 05 14 92

The body complies with standard EN 45011.

4.8. Labelling: The product is sold under the name "Brioche Vendéenne".

4.9. National requirements: -

EC No: FR/00271/03.01.02.

Date of receipt of the full application: 2 January 2003.