The “Chavões” of São Jorge will become part of the list of artisanal productions that can be certified by the collective brand “Artesanato dos Açores”, announced today the Regional Secretary for Youth, Housing and Employment, Maria João Carreiro.
The certification of this typical artisanal product from the island of São Jorge constitutes the “recognition of a unique production and a cultural and economic opportunity to distinguish its artisanal and heritage value”, she praised.
Maria João Carreiro was speaking at the inauguration of the Craft Support Center in the municipality of Velas, a “new space to bring local artisanal production closer to residents and tourists, from a perspective of promotion and commercialization”.
The Center is installed in the Velas Municipal Council building and is the result of a partnership between the Government of the Azores and the Association for the Development of the Island of São Jorge (ADISJ), “in the absolute certainty of how much this service is desired by the people of Jorge and how much what it can mean for the artisans of the island of São Jorge”.
The Regional Secretary responsible for the Handicrafts of the Azores valued the dynamization of the handicraft sector on the island of São Jorge, which currently has 40 artisans registered at the Center for Handicrafts and Design of the Azores (CADA) and 30 Artisanal Production Units, from of which 10 are certified by the collective brand “Artesanato dos Açores”.
Within the scope of SIDART – System of Incentives for the Development of Handicrafts of the Azores, whose applications are under consideration, this year 14 applications were presented from artisans from São Jorge, for a global amount of 58 thousand euros “for investments on artisanal qualification and innovation projects or promotion”.
Maria João Carreiro also announced that CADA is preparing a new “Azores in a Box” kit dedicated to the island of São Jorge, the “Coffee Kit”, which includes ceramics (cup), weaving (bread bag) and the café itself, thus creating another opportunity to promote local handicrafts of São Jorge.