The handicraft certification committee is meeting this month of April.

Certification and Protection of the Regional Products.

Bearing in mind the importance of protecting the local Azorean products, mainly when they are promoted and sold outside the archipelago’s boundaries, the certification of origin and quality is a valuable tool for the cultural and marketing upgrade of these products.

The decree no. 89/1998, of 3^rd December, has created the collective brand of certification ‘Artesanato dos Açores’ [Handicrafts of the Azores] for the traditional hand-crafted products of the region, a brand to be supervised by the ‘Centro Regional de Apoio ao Artesanato’ [Centre for the Azorean Handicrafts] and that had its premiere with embroideries.

Once the certification was a fact in this area, the positive results obtained led to the certification of other products as part of the national hand-crafted repertoire, such as:

• Traditional needlework of the Azores;
• Traditional weaving of the Azores;
• Fig pith carving of the Azores;
• ‘Registos do Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres’;
• ‘Bolos lêvedos’;
• Fish Scales;
• Regional sweets ( ‘queijadas’ from Vila Franca do Campo, D.Amélia cakes, ‘espécies’ from S. Jorge, ‘queijadas’ from Graciosa and ‘biscoitos de orelha’ from Santa Maria) ;
• Azorean Pottery;
• ‘Alfenim’;
• ‘Presépios de Lapinha’.
• Basketry of the Azores
• Doormats of the Azores
• Casing in wicker of the Azores
• Hats of the Azores
• Confection of Dolls of the Azores

If you work in one of these areas and do not have your product certified, contact CRAA for more information and start the certification process for your product through the collective brand “Artesanato dos Açores” (Handicraft of the Azores), at the next product certification commission meeting in the month of April.