Meeting Piedmont Region Governor Alberto Cirio; Guido Castagna and Antonio Borra – Committee president and secretary Supporter of gianduiotto PGI brand in Turin – and Janusz Wojciechowski, European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development. Full warehouse coming from Brussels Support for the recognition procedure of the Turin PGI Chocolate and its properties.
And it is precisely the rules of discipline that underlie a dispute that has become the subject of international diplomacy. In fact, Swiss Lindt, which also includes Caffaril in its brand portfolio, opposes the procedure and demands the recognition of the Turin PGI and the blocking of the specifications prepared by the Committee.
Origins of the legendary gianduiotto
But let’s go in order. About seven years ago, chocolatier and chocolate technologist Guido Castagna and Antonio Borra, canon lawyer and Piedmont IGP hazelnut farmer by family tradition, found themselves discussing the true nature of gianduiotto. They trace its history, search for the original recipe, and realize that A simple chocolate bar has a turnover of more than 200 million euros per year.
Unfortunately, like many other successful Italian agri-food excellences – the Parmesan example serves as a precedent – there is a history even for gianduiotto: Lack of respect for tradition and brand. Thus arose the need to organize gianduiotto with its primary identity as the expression of a tradition and a region. As a first step Cross-committee bringing together more than 40 issues today In addition to large companies such as Ferrero, Venchi, Domori and Pastiglie Leone, master chocolatiers such as Guido Gobino, Guido Castagna and Giorgio and Bruna Peyrano are among them.
Chocolate working committee representing Piedmont
“Committee’s opinion“explains Castagna to CiboToday”It was almost born for fun when Antonio Borra and I realized how many Italian food products were being copied. As confirmed by news from France that several chocolatiers have started producing chocolates calling them gianduiotti”.
The first move of the newly formed Committee was to commission the Agricultural University of Turin to analyze the gianduiotti of approximately thirty production companies participating in the project. “This research” continues Castagna“This was necessary because every producer had come up with his own recipe since 1805, when gianduia was born as a cocoa substitute. By comparing the data obtained, we compiled a specification that everyone can agree on”. For this reason, in addition to being called “Giandujotto di Torino” Produced in the Piedmont regionThe chocolate must be made from roasted PGI Piedmont hazelnuts (30 to 45%), granulated beet sugar or refined cane sugar (20 to 45%), and cocoa (25%).
Milk of discord: good or not?
And here comes the reason for the disagreement and Lindt’s dislike of the recognition procedure. However, to understand this passage, we need to go back centuries. In fact, according to legend, it was Caffarel, which was acquired by the Swiss giant in 1997, who created the first gianduiotto in 1865, named in honor of the Turin mask. With the transition from craftsmanship to industry, Caffarel added a foreign ingredient to his gianduiotto: milk powder.
“Hazelnut“explains Castagna to CiboToday”It was chosen over cocoa because it was a weak product. Over time, Nocciola Piemonte PGI became very popular, making it too expensive for mass production. So Caffaril and others replaced most of the hazelnuts with powdered milk. “In addition, milk powder has the feature of facilitating production by stabilizing chocolate production.”
A production that should remain regional
Another reason for the dispute is that Lindt registered the trademark “gianduia di Torino dal 1865”. This conflicts with European regulations that prevent the name of a city or region from being registered for a specific trademark. Territoriality is also an issue that “bothers” Lindt. In fact, the specification states that only product produced in Piedmont can be called “giandujotto Torino Igp”. Sustainable by Swiss industryWith the bulk of Caffaril’s production being moved from Luserna San Giovanni (Turin) to Induno Olona (Varese), where the company’s Italian factories are located.
Gianduiotto becomes PGI
Moreover, thanks to the interest of the Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry, Francesco Lollobrigida, and the support of Brussels, the recognition of the Turin PGI for gianduiotto produced according to specifications is expected to take place within the next year. ” Recognition of Turin PGI” concludes Castagna “It should be an inclusive action that brings together companies of all sizes to promote Italian excellence. We all hope that Lindt will reconsider his position and join the Committee.”.
Source: Today IT
Roy Brown is a renowned economist and author at The Nation View. He has a deep understanding of the global economy and its intricacies. He writes about a wide range of economic topics, including monetary policy, fiscal policy, international trade, and labor markets.
