Publication of an application for registration of a name pursuant to Article 50(2)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs 2023/C 303/05
Date: 2023-08-28
Institutions: Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
Subjects: Catalonia, Spain, consumer information, designation of origin, goats’ milk cheese, labelling, product designation, quality control of agricultural products




C_2023303EN.01001101.xml










28.8.2023   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 303/11






Publication of an application for registration of a name pursuant to Article 50(2)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs
(2023/C 303/05)
This publication confers the right to oppose the application pursuant to Article 51 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1) within three months from the date of this publication.
SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘Formatge Garrotxa / Queso Garrotxa’


EU No: PGI-ES-02876 – 14.11.2020


PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1.   Name(s) [of PDO or PGI]


‘Formatge Garrotxa / Queso Garrotxa’

2.   Member State or third country

Spain
3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Type of product

Class 1.3 Cheese
3.2.   Description of the product to which the name in (1) applies

The ‘Formatge Garrotxa / Queso Garrotxa’ PGI is a cheese made exclusively from whole goat’s milk, using the mixed curdling technique. The crust is covered with a layer of blue-grey mould, giving it the ashy, fuzzy appearance of a bloomy rind.
Cheese covered by this PGI has the following characteristics:






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Morphological: regular cylindrical shape with rounded edges. The height must not exceed the diameter. There are two sizes: one of 1 kg and the other of 0,5 kg, ± 100 g and 50 g respectively. The small size has a diameter of 10,5 cm ± 1 cm and the large size has a diameter of 14,5 cm ± 1 cm.










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Chemical






Protein content (of the dry matter):


minimum 30 %




Fat content (of the dry matter):


minimum 45 %




Dry extract:


maximum 70 %














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Organoleptic






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The paste is off-white in colour and has a firm, smooth texture.










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The aromas are of medium intensity, with fresh goat’s milk and butter predominating on the inside, while the rind gives off damp notes reminiscent of the cellar. In the mouth, lactic notes predominate.








3.3.   Feed (for products of animal origin only) and raw materials (for processed products only)

Goat’s milk, lactic cultures, calcium chloride (optional), rennet and salt.
3.4.   Specific steps in production that must take place in the defined geographical area

All stages in the production of these cheeses must take place in the demarcated geographical area.
The stages are: taking delivery and storage, pasteurisation, maturing the milk, curdling, cutting, moulding, pressing, salting, drying and maturing.
In the production of ‘Formatge Garrotxa’ / ‘Queso Garrotxa’ the maturing process and the development of the mould are essential stages that give the cheese its particular characteristics. The cheeses are repeatedly turned over until they develop a regular grey-coloured rind and ashy, fuzzy appearance due to the growth of surface mould. In no circumstances may they be inoculated artificially. The minimum maturing time is 21 days.
3.5.   Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc. of the product the registered name refers to

Packaging the product is an important, delicate operation which must be carried out by the cheesemaker in order to ensure that the cheese’s characteristic rind is not damaged. For this reason, packaging must be done in the demarcated area by the producers for the purpose of preserving one of the most important characteristics of the protected cheese.
The individual cheeses must be packaged using appropriate materials such as paper, or in cardboard boxes, so that the bloomy rind around the cheese is not damaged.
Packaging processes such as vacuum technology or similar which do not protect the bloomy rind may not be used.
3.6.   Specific rules concerning labelling of the product the registered name refers to

The labels on the cheeses must include the name ‘Formatge Garrotxa / Queso Garrotxa’ and the term ‘Indicación Geográfica Protegida’ [Protected Geographical Indication], or the acronym IGP [PGI], along with the PGI's specific logo.
Image of this PGI's specific logo:





4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The geographical area of the ‘Formatge Garrotxa / Queso Garrotxa’ Protected Geographical Indication covers the entire Autonomous Community of Catalonia.
5.   Link with the geographical area

The link between ‘Formatge Garrotxa’ / ‘Queso Garrotxa’ and its production region is based above all on its reputation and quality characteristics. These result from the particular manufacturing method used, in which the know-how of the cheesemakers is paramount.
The area in which this cheese is produced has historically been a place in which goat’s milk is produced and cheese made. There is proof of this in the many types of goat’s cheese that can still be found throughout the area.
The beginning of the 1980s saw a huge increase in the production of goat’s milk, which rose from 156 000 litres in 1973 to 1 300 000 litres in 1983. For this reason, a number of farmers based in the Garrotxa district engaged specialist cheesemakers as consultants in order to produce a matured cheese that would enable them to use up their excess goat’s milk. The specialists revived the recipe for a matured goat’s cheese that had previously been made in the area, incorporating the technological knowledge that existed in the 1980s. They created a specific product, and this was how ‘Formatge Garrotxa’ / ‘Queso Garrotxa’ first acquired its name: from the area in which it was made.
In the 1980s – at the same time as this cheese was being revived in the Garrotxa region – young people started leaving urban areas for rural areas, especially mountain areas. Some of those young ‘neo-rurals’ took courses in artisanal cheesemaking which, at that time, were being run at Torre Marimon – an official specialist agricultural college where‘Formatge Garrotxa’ / ‘Queso Garrotxa’ technology and ‘know-how’ were taught. Those young people went on to make the cheese in dairies all over Catalonia, as they had been taught.
The quality of ‘Formatge Garrotxa’ / ‘Queso Garrotxa’ stems from its producers' skill and experience, which make a major contribution to the quality and properties of the cheese. It is known that few cheesemakers were producing ‘Formatge Garrotxa’ / ‘Queso Garrotxa’ at the outset. This was because it was difficult to make and required considerable attention during the maturing period in order to produce a sufficiently generous bloomy rind. The cheesemakers have acquired the necessary expertise with which to handle the cheeses carefully by hand. They do not use mechanised processes or any utensils that could damage the surface layer of mould.
The maturing process and the development of the mould are essential stages in the production of ‘Formatge Garrotxa’ / ‘Queso Garrotxa’. During that stage the role of the cheesemaker is fundamental, as mechanised processes are not used during maturing. No utensils that could damage the layer of mould are used. Instead, the cheeses are made by hand, which requires knowledge, know-how and experience on the part of the cheesemaker. As the mould develops, the cheesemaker combs it by hand, taking care not to remove it. In fact, the combing helps the mould to form evenly on the surface of the cheese, and to disperse around the maturing room.
For these reasons the human factor is essential in creating the right technical conditions for producing a good ‘Formatge Garrotxa’ / ‘Queso Garrotxa’.
The specific characteristic of ‘Formatge Garrotxa’ / ‘Queso Garrotxa’ is the bloomy rind giving its outer surface a greyish or bluish appearance and making it fuzzy to the touch. This rind sets it apart from the other cheeses on sale in the rest of Spain and elsewhere in Europe, as it is the only goat’s cheese made using the mixed curdling technique, with mould being allowed to grow on the rind during production and maturing. The mould gives the cheese a distinctive appearance and protects it while it is on sale and until it is consumed.
This cheese is usually known as a ‘bloomy-rind cheese’ on account of the appearance that the mould gives it.
‘Formatge Garrotxa’ / ‘Queso Garrotxa’ is a product highly appreciated by consumers. It is associated with Catalonia's lands and it forms an intrinsic part of Catalan culture. It is a symbol of Catalan cultural heritage, thanks to its links with society and with socio-economic changes and developments. The product's reputation has gradually spread beyond the confines of its production area. It is currently being supplied to various European countries such as Sweden, Portugal, Andorra, Greece, Denmark and Germany, and to/in countries outside Europe such as Mexico, the USA, Canada, Japan and Russia.
Its popularity and reputation are indisputable, as shown by the many references in specialist books and official catalogues, specific references on the internet, and its established presence at fairs and competitions.
Queso Garrotxa first appeared on the market at local fairs close to the production area. By 1985, this type of cheese had already made an appearance at the Barcelona trade fair (in the pavilion housing Catalonia's artisan food producers). It was subsequently introduced at artisanal fairs held in various places across Spain and within a few years it had been taken abroad. By 1993 it had won first prize at an international cheese-tasting event in London, following which it became an export product.
Since the 1980s, numerous references to this cheese have appeared in specialist publications, including: Arroyo and Canut, Quesos de España [Cheeses of Spain], Espasa-Calpe, 1988; Various authors, España, el país de los 100 quesos [Spain, land of 100 cheeses], CCI Consultores Alimentarios, S.L., 1996; Descobrir Cuina [Discover cuisine], No 1, 1997, p. 53; Canut and Wiesenthal, Los mejores vinos y quesos españoles [The best Spanish wines and cheeses], 2002, p. 83.
References to this product also appear in official catalogues published by the authorities since 1990: Catálogo de quesos de España [Catalogue of cheeses of Spain] (1990) and in the Inventario Español de Productos Tradicionales [Spanish Inventory of Traditional Products], (1996) published by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. It also appears in the book Productes de la Terra [Products of the Land] published by the Government of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia (2007); in the periodical Pastors [Shepherds] published by the Unió de Pagesos [Farmers’ Union], in an article entitled ‘Producció actual del formatge de pell florida o Garrotxa’ [‘Current production of bloomy-rind cheese or Garrotxa’], Romero del Castillo y Pratginestós, 1998. In addition, it has been the subject of various dissertations in the Agricultural School of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (Abril, C., 1993, Pratginestós, F., 1998, Rafel, C., 2006, Canals, G., 2011).
In the regulatory field, Queso Garrotxa appears in the Catalan Government's Inventario de Productos de la Tierra [Land Production Inventory], which includes typical and traditional Catalan foods. Furthermore, in 1996 Queso Garrotxa was referred to in Commission Decision 96/536/EC as a dairy product with traditional characteristics.
On the internet there are websites such as the Associació Catalana de Ramaders i Elaboradors de Formatge Artesà [Catalan association of cattle breeders and producers of artisanal cheese] and the Gastroteca portal of the Catalan Government body Prodeca - Promotora dels Aliments Catalans (a digital catalogue of Catalan agri-food products). On those sites, ‘Formatge Garrotxa’ / ‘Queso Garrotxa’ is presented as a highly distinctive traditional type of cheese characterised by its bloomy rind.
The cheese has been awarded numerous prizes in various competitions judged by tasting panels comprising cheese experts. This is testimony to the solid reputation of ‘Formatge Garrotxa’ / ‘Queso Garrotxa’ and the product’s excellent quality. Some of these prizes include:






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World Cheese Awards: international competition, in the semi-cured category: ‘super gold’ medal in 2016, gold medals in 2009, 2010, 2018, 2019 and 2022; silver medals in 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019; bronze medals in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022.










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Gourmet Quesos: national Spanish competition, in the category of young goat’s cheese made from pasteurised milk: gold medal in 2023.










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Competition for artisanal cheeses from the Pyrenees: Competition covering the Spanish and French Pyrenees, in the category of goat’s cheese made by enzymatic curdling: silver medal in 2011 and bronze medal in 2009.










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Lactium: Catalan regional competition, in the specific category of Queso Garrotxa: single medal for the best cheese in this category in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022.





Reference to publication of the specification

The full product specification can be found on the following website:
While the application is being processed, the updated product specification can be consulted via the following link:
http://agricultura.gencat.cat/web/.content/al_alimentacio/al02_qualitat_alimentaria/normativa-dop-igp/plecs-tramit/pliego-condiciones-igp-formatge-garrotxa-solicitud-esp.pdf
and, once the application has been approved, will be published on
http://agricultura.gencat.cat/ca/ambits/alimentacio/segells-qualitat-diferenciada/distintius-origen/dop-igp/normativa-dop-igp/plecs-condicions/en-vigor/


(1)  OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1.