The Gusto del Sur agri-food quality seal is celebrating its first anniversary with the support of 110 companies and 280 brands that have signed up to it, in an event that, prepared as a “thank you for the work of all those who are standard-bearers of Andalusian quality”, will be held on 2 September in the capital of Seville.
Endorsed by the European Union and established through the approval of Decree 153/2023 of June 27 by the Governing Council of the Junta de Andalucía, the Gusto del Sur brand aims to guarantee the differentiated quality of Andalusian products, strengthen the competitiveness of the sector and promote its commercialization and internationalization.
The anniversary event, which will be chaired by the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Ramón Fernández-Pacheco, aims to highlight the quality of the companies associated with this seal and will seek to promote it so that more Andalusian entities linked to the agri-food sector join a project that is a guarantee in national and international markets.
Since its establishment as a quality brand, Gusto del Sur has had an excellent reception by the sector, which has been reflected in the adhesion of more than 110 companies and 280 quality products, thanks to the recruitment work and the collaboration of the Agency for Agricultural and Fisheries Management of Andalusia (Agapa), Andalucía Agrotech DIH, Landaluz, Cooperativas Agro-Alimentarias de Andalucía, the regulatory councils of the Protected Designations of Origin (PDO), the Protected Geographical Indications (PGI), the Andalusian Academy of Gastronomy and Tourism, the Ibero-American Academy of Gastronomy and other entities.
Award for Excellence
This work has been internationally recognised with the Excellence Award, given to the Andalusian quality brand by the World Olive Oil Exhibition (WOOE) in February of this year. Also, in 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development received the Best Institution Award from the digital newspaper specialising in agri-food and consumption Qcom.es, for the work carried out with Gusto del Sur. Since its registration in 2019, the brand has added more awards to its list of achievements, as the Malaga advertising agency El Cuartel was recognised at the prestigious Agripina Awards, for the execution of the marketing and communication campaign “Gusto del Sur”.
Andalusia, leader in agri-food
All these efforts have made it possible to promote quality food and drink in all markets, position the autonomous community as a leading region in agri-food and help consumers in their purchasing decisions, improving the competitiveness of a key sector for the economy of Andalusia, which is the main source of fruit, vegetables and fresh food in Europe.
Most of the companies linked to Gusto del Sur come from the olive oil sector (61%), followed by those dedicated to wines, vinegars and brandy (15%). However, companies from the fruit and vegetable (14%) and fishing and fish farming (10%) sectors also have a significant presence in the brand.
The provinces with the most companies affiliated with Gusto del Sur are Jaén, Córdoba, Huelva, Granada and Seville, respectively. It is worth noting that thirteen regulatory councils have also been linked to the brand: eight DOP; four IGP, one Community Geographical Indication (IGBE) representing the sectors of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), wines and vinegars, fish products and confectionery.
Andalusia is a leader in the agri-food industry with a total of 5,900 companies, and is the European community with the most DOPs, PGIs and surface area dedicated to organic farming. In January and February 2024, exports of Andalusian agri-food products reached 2,916 million euros in turnover, which represents an increase of almost 16% compared to the same period of the previous year.
The province with the greatest export potential is Almería, which in January 2024 exceeded 504.64 million euros in agri-food exports, followed by Cádiz, which reached 88.20 million. The product with the highest value in international markets during the first month of the year was EVOO, with sales of 246 million euros.
Exhibition and showcooking
These are the achievements that will be recognised at the first anniversary event, where, in addition to an exhibition of agricultural products, a cooking show will be organised by Andalusian chefs such as Juanjo Mena, from the Michelin-starred restaurant RADIS (Jaén), and Manu Lachica, from the restaurant Learta (Seville). The gastronomic session will end with the tasting of a dessert created by the pastry chef Laura Robles.