Introducing: New Specifications for Traditional Rachuli Lori (Bacon)

Sakpatenti, the National Intellectual Property Center of Georgia, has just published the brand new specifications for Traditional Rachuli Lori in a special online bulletin. This document will be available to the public for a three-month period, during which interested parties may submit any remarks. The process will move to the final stage: registering Traditional Rachuli Lori as a product of Geographical Indication (GI).

Lori making from pigs reared in the rich forests of Racha, is famous as a cultural tradition throughout Georgia, but the practice had fallen in recent years, facing significant challenges.  These include the use of frozen pork and counterfeiting, a lack of consistency in product quality and a lack of proper smoking and storage facilities, which severely limits production capacity and leads to inconsistent supply. The practice is centuries old, making the most of a hilly and forested terrain where dairy is scare but pigs who can make the most of the forest fruits, thrive and where their salted meat can be stored throughout the harsh winters. Therefore, it is very important to protect this product and boost the market, particularly a product produced so sustainably and in harmony with the nature in which the rural people of Racha live and cherish.

The specifications are the result of nearly two years of the joint work of the ALCP2 and the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture with local producers from Racha region as well as consultation with and input from the SECO financed Georgian-Swiss Intellectual Property (GESIP) Project implemented by the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI). The successful registration of Traditional Rachuli Lori of a product of Geographical Indication will mark the development of a new era in Georgian regional produce and will help preserve and augment this famous local product and provide a model for other products in other regions.  Lori makers complying with the standard will produce and sell a value-added product which enhances the heritage of the region, boosting sales, production and incomes for local people.

The ALCP2 implemented by Mercy Corps Georgia, is funded by the Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC) in cooperation with the Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC) and Sweden.