What is a designation of origin?
Under Turkey's Industrial Property Law No. 6769, geographical indications come in two types: designations of origin and geographical signs. A designation of origin is granted when all or the essential characteristics of a product come from the natural and human factors of its area, and production, processing and all other stages must take place within that area.
Registration is carried out by the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office (TÜRKPATENT). How the product must be made is set out in a specification, and use of the name is regularly checked by the competent inspection bodies.
How does it differ from a geographical sign?
For a geographical sign it is enough for at least one production stage to take place in the region. For a designation of origin, every stage does. That makes the designation of origin the strongest link between a product and its land.
Two GürAta products with a designation of origin
Rize Tea is protected as a designation of origin under registration No. 707, registered in 2021 on behalf of the Rize Commodity Exchange. GürAta's First Harvest Rize Tea comes from the first spring flush and is produced with ÇAYKUR's inspection and standards-compliance support.
Bingöl Balı honey holds designation of origin No. 1237, later also recognised in the European Union as a Protected Designation of Origin. For both products, the designation of origin is official proof of GürAta's principle: made where it grows, with the people of the place where it grows.
