DENOMINATION OF ORIGIN

MONTECRISTI ECUADOR

Catalina Toko Arias

SECTION ONE

GENERAL REGULATIONS OF DO IN ECUADOR

NATIONAL REGULATIONS FOR DO OF ECUADOR

Andean Regulations Decision 486

National Regulations IP Laws and bylaws

Indication of source Denomination of origin

Geographical Indications.

CONCEPT OF THE DO

A Geographical indication that consists of:

A) The denomination of a specific geographical zone.

B) Used to designate natural, agricultural,artisan or industrial products, native of the zone

C) Whose characteristics are essentially or exclusively due to the geographical environment with its natural and human factors

D) The production, manufacturing and processing belong to that geographical zone.

GENERAL CHARACTERISTIC OF THE

NATIONAL DO Declaration of Protection

It must be filed by a party who has a legitimate interest A) A country’s producers, extractors, manufacturers or

artisans B) By the public authorities( central or local)

GENERAL CHARACTERISTIC OF THE

NATIONAL DO The owner is the State. The use is reserved for the producer,

manufacturers and artisans who have their productions or manufacturing in the zone

The control belongs to the State or a private organization duly authorized by the State.

The DO will be in force as long as the conditions are in force by which the DO was granted

SECTION TWO

THE FIRST DENOMINATION OF ORIGIN IN ECUADOR

APPLICATION DETAILSFOR THE DO

MONTECRISTI Filed in 2005 for the hat

known incorrectly as a Panama Hat, following the rules in force and according with the requirements of the National and Andean Regulations,such as

The name of applicant. Identification of the DO Identification of the

Geographical Zone. Identification of the Product,

Characteristics, Reputation, and Quality.

THE FOLLOWING WERE PRESENTED IN THE

APPLICATION The name of applicant.An association formed in 1992, named

Union de Artesanos de Paja Toquilla de

Montecristi

(Artesians Union of Montecristi Paja Toquilla Straw)

THE FOLLOWING WERE PRESENTED IN THE

APPLICATION Identification of the DO

Denomination of origin

MONTECRISTI

ORIGEN OF THE NAME MONTECRISTI -

The Details are not recorded in the Application

Montecristi is the name of the a small town or canton that is lying at the foot of a large hill called Montecristi, It was founded in 1741.

Identification of the Geographical zone. Geographic location of Montecristi

The Following is described in the Inspection Costal region of the province of Manabí Geographic coordinates: Lat. S 1°, 10’ / S

1° and Long. W 80° 45’ / W 80° 30’ Citys and towns: Montecristi (Canton

Capitol), Bajo de Pechinche, Bajo De la Palma, Bajo de Afuera, El Chorillo, Colorado, El Arroyo, and the Community of Simon Bolivar.

GEOGRAPHICAL ZONE. Procession location of

Montecristi. These details were not recorded in the application nor the inspection.

Cultivation. Aromo & Pile

Weaving Pile &

Montecristi

Finishing and sale Montecristi.

THE FOLLOWING WERE PRESENTED IN THE APPLICATION

Identification of product

Product: Artesian ProductHat woven out of the straw known as PAJA TOQUILLA

Produced by the artisans of Montecristi

.

Characteristics

NATURAL FACTORS

HUMAN FACTORS

NATURAL FACTORS. MATERIAL USED

A raw fiber from a plant called Carludovica palmata

Origin. This names is a combination of the Latin names Carlos, and Luduvica: Luisa in honor of the King Carlos IV and Queen Luisa).The popular name is Paja Toquilla o Jipijapa.

NATURAL FACTORS. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE

STRAW It is member of the

Cyclanthaceae family Wild plant of 2 or 3 meters. Similar to a palm tree

without a trunk With leaves in the form of a

fan With a green color outside

and a white color in the core that is used for make the straw “paja toquilla”

NATURAL FACTORS. CLIMATIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE STRAW

Grown near the coast of Ecuador, between 100 and 400 meters above sea level in lowlands of Montecristi, in a soil rich in salt and calcium, with the rains, humidity, cool air and in the shadows generated by other plants. Comment:

There is not a study in the application or in the inspection regarding the correlation between the soil, and environment and the quality of the prime material from Montecristi

HUMAN FACTOR. TRADITIONAL WEAVING

Cutting The Straw

The weavers cut the tender core of the leaves (cogollos) with machetes.

The weaver needs at least between 24 and 40 cogollos or more to make a fine hat

COMBING AND BOILING Details not recorded in

the application but it is recorded in the inspection

Leaves are opened using the finger nail and the inner leaf fingers are separated and split into dozens of thin straws attached to the leaf stem.

Then, these are cleaned and boiled in a big pot of water for about 5 minutes ( to remove the green color) and afterward are hung to dry

DRYING AND BLEACHING Details not recorded

in the application, however it is recorded in the inspection

The straw is dried in the sun during the day and the night of the full moon in order to obtain the ivory color.

Its is smoked in sulfur fumes in a closed wooden box in the night to maintain the color

WEAVING Details not recorded in the application but it is recorded in the inspection

Woven outwards from the centre of the crown using a wooden crown form as support. It is woven in the afternoon and in the sunrise, under the shadow in a close place but with air

FINISHING OFF Details not recorded in the application

but it is recorded in the inspection

It is finished off with the special back weave around the brim and then the remaining loose straws are trimmed with razor blade.

It is washed by hand with soap and a brush

It is bleached with sulfur for 12 hours.

SHAPING AND STYLIZING Details not recorded

in the application but it is recorded in the inspection

It is dried in the sun, pummeled with a mallet of wood with sulfur to make the weave uniform and soft

Afterwards it is Ironed with an old fashioned iron heated on a stove to improve shape, style and firmness  

HUMAN FACTORS. ORIGIN OF THE

TRADITIONAL WEAVING AND REPUTATION. The traditional weaving began with a pre-.colombian coastal

ethnic groups Manteño who used a primitive “head protection, called by the Spanish ‘toque’, the origin of the name of paja toquilla, name used by the Spanish in Europe to spread the hats woven in Montecristi..

Only in 1835 began the serious exportation of the hats from Montecristi to Panama, and from Panama to Europe and North America, which explains how this Ecuadorian product came to be incorrectly known as Panama Hats.

The popularity of the Panama hat started in the 20th century when a photograph of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt appeared in the world press wearing a hat.

In 1930, it was Ecuador's number-one export, and all over the world a Panama Hat came to be considered a symbol of style and elegance.

Quality Details not recorded in the application or the inspection.

DENSITY OF WEAVE. The “Montecristi Cuenta,” is a not official measure and consists of counting the numbers of straw fibers going vertically and horizontally, and multiply the two numbers together. A hat with a “cuenta” of 900 is a treasure.QUALITY OF WEAVE. It has to be uniform with straws of the same thicknessCOLOR. It has to be uniform but not perfect.

SECTION III SPECIFIC PROBLEMS OF

DENOMINATION OF ORIGIN

Opposition Weak Association

No Technical Standards Economic Interest

OPPOSITIONS. In my opinion the most serious opposition

filed was by the Cuenca Hat producer. The main argument was that the Paja

Toquilla does not only grow in Montecristi and there are not specifications that the weavers could used to identify the difference between Montecristi and Cuenca Hats

THE DIFFERENCES

Micro climatethe latitude, humidity, rainfall and soil properties of Montecristi, create conditions that yield the smoothest, longest and strongest fiber of paja toquilla plants of any locale in Ecuador. The Microclimate of Cuenca is drier and of higher altitude (No study Exists in the DO)Treatment of hatsMontecristi hats are treated with sulfur then washed (a longer slower process)Cuenca Hats are chemically bleached (this damages the fibers)Shape and Life. Montecristi hats can change the shape after being washed, Cuenca hats can not.Montecristi have a longer life. Cuenca can be used only a few years

OTHER PROBLEMS

WEAK ASSOCIATION. Formed by persons with different levels of education, distrust, People normally exploited

NO TECNICHAL STANDARDS.-No standards to measure and control the quality.

ECONOMICAL INTEREST. The government has announced plans to build a refinery in El Aromo, the place where the paja toquilla is grown.

END OF THE PRESENTATION

THANK YOU

Catalina Toko Arias

EXPORTACIONES DO (Details not recorded in the application and inspection

EXPORTATION 1949 . 20.000 unites 1898 – 50.000 unites (America-Spanish War) 1944 to 1953. First

product of Exportation from Ecuador

2002.US$ 502 dolares 2004.2005 US$ 685.000

COUNTRIES OF EXPORTACTION.

USA the24% (approximate. 140.000)

Italy the 13%, Peru the 10% Germany the 8%,

(approximate 92.000) United Kingdom the 7%

and the rest, the (31%) to 31 markets of

America and Europe