1. DENOMINATION OF ORIGIN MONTECRISTI ECUADOR Catalina Toko Arias

2. SECTION ONE GENERAL REGULATIONS OF DO IN ECUADOR

3. NATIONAL REGULATIONS FOR DO OF ECUADOR Andean Regulations Decision 486 National Regulations IP Laws and bylaws Indication of source Denomination of origin Geographical Indications.

4. CONCEPT OF THE DO A Geographical indication that consists of: A) The denomination of a specific geographical zone. B) Used to designate natural, agricultural,artisan or industrial products, native of the zone C) Whose characteristics are essentially or exclusively due to the geographical environment with its natural and human factors D) The production, manufacturing and processing belong to that geographical zone.

5. GENERAL CHARACTERISTIC OF THE NATIONAL DO Declaration of Protection It must be filed by a party who has a legitimate interest A) A countrys producers, extractors, manufacturers or artisans B) By the public authorities( central or local)

6. GENERAL CHARACTERISTIC OF THE NATIONAL DO The owner is the State. The use is reserved for the producer, manufacturers and artisans who have their productions or manufacturing in the zone The control belongs to the State or a private organization duly authorized by the State. The DO will be in force as long as the conditions are in force by which the DO was granted

7. SECTION TWO THE FIRST DENOMINATION OF ORIGIN IN ECUADOR

8. APPLICATION DETAILS FOR THE DO MONTECRISTI Filed in 2005 for the hat known incorrectly as a Panama Hat, following the rules in force and according with the requirements of the National and Andean Regulations,such as The name of applicant. Identification of the DO Identification of the Geographical Zone. Identification of the Product, Characteristics, Reputation, and Quality.

9. THE FOLLOWING WERE PRESENTED IN THE APPLICATION The name of applicant. An association formed in 1992, named Union de Artesanos de Paja Toquilla de Montecristi (Artesians Union of Montecristi Paja Toquilla Straw)

10. THE FOLLOWING WERE PRESENTED IN THE APPLICATION Identification of the DO Denomination of origin MONTECRISTI

11. ORIGEN OF THE NAME MONTECRISTI - The Details are not recorded in the Application Montecristi is the name of the a small town or canton that is lying at the foot of a large hill called Montecristi, It was founded in 1741.

12. Identification of the Geographical zone. Geographic location of Montecristi The Following is described in the Inspection Costal region of the province of Manabí Geographic coordinates: Lat. S 1°, 10 / S 1° and Long. W 80° 45 / W 80° 30 Citys and towns: Montecristi (Canton Capitol), Bajo de Pechinche, Bajo De la Palma, Bajo de Afuera, El Chorillo, Colorado, El Arroyo, and the Community of Simon Bolivar.

13. GEOGRAPHICAL ZONE. Procession location of Montecristi. These details were not recorded in the application nor the inspection. Cultivation. Aromo & Pile Weaving Pile & Montecristi Finishing and sale Montecristi.

14. THE FOLLOWING WERE PRESENTED IN THE APPLICATION Identification of product Product: Artesian Product Hat woven out of the straw known as PAJA TOQUILLA Produced by the artisans of Montecristi.

15. Characteristics NATURAL FACTORS HUMAN FACTORS

16. NATURAL FACTORS. MATERIAL USED A raw fiber from a plant called Carludovica palmata Origin. This names is a combination of the Latin names Carlos, and Luduvica: Luisa in honor of the King Carlos IV and Queen Luisa).The popular name is Paja Toquilla o Jipijapa.

17. NATURAL FACTORS. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE STRAW It is member of the Cyclanthaceae family Wild plant of 2 or 3 meters. Similar to a palm tree without a trunk With leaves in the form of a fan With a green color outside and a white color in the core that is used for make the straw paja toquilla

18. NATURAL FACTORS. CLIMATIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE STRAW Grown near the coast of Ecuador, between 100 and 400 meters above sea level in lowlands of Montecristi, in a soil rich in salt and calcium, with the rains, humidity, cool air and in the shadows generated by other plants. Comment: There is not a study in the application or in the inspection regarding the correlation between the soil, and environment and the quality of the prime material from Montecristi

19. HUMAN FACTOR. TRADITIONAL WEAVING Cutting The Straw The weavers cut the tender core of the leaves (cogollos) with machetes. The weaver needs at least between 24 and 40 cogollos or more to make a fine hat

20. COMBING AND BOILING Details not recorded in the application but it is recorded in the inspection Leaves are opened using the finger nail and the inner leaf fingers are separated and split into dozens of thin straws attached to the leaf stem. Then, these are cleaned and boiled in a big pot of water for about 5 minutes ( to remove the green color) and afterward are hung to dry

21. DRYING AND BLEACHING Details not recorded in the application, however it is recorded in the inspection The straw is dried in the sun during the day and the night of the full moon in order to obtain the ivory color. Its is smoked in sulfur fumes in a closed wooden box in the night to maintain the color

22. WEAVING Details not recorded in the application but it is recorded in the inspection Woven outwards from the centre of the crown using a wooden crown form as support. It is woven in the afternoon and in the sunrise, under the shadow in a close place but with air

23. FINISHING OFF Details not recorded in the application but it is recorded in the inspection It is finished off with the special back weave around the brim and then the remaining loose straws are trimmed with razor blade. It is washed by hand with soap and a brush It is bleached with sulfur for 12 hours.

24. SHAPING AND STYLIZING Details not recorded in the application but it is recorded in the inspection It is dried in the sun, pummeled with a mallet of wood with sulfur to make the weave uniform and soft Afterwards it is Ironed with an old fashioned iron heated on a stove to improve shape, style and firmness

25. HUMAN FACTORS. ORIGIN OF THE TRADITIONAL WEAVING AND REPUTATION. The traditional weaving began with a pre-.colombian coastal ethnic groups Manteño who used a primitive head protection, called by the Spanish toque, the origin of the name of paja toquilla, name used by the Spanish in Europe to spread the hats woven in Montecristi.. Only in 1835 began the serious exportation of the hats from Montecristi to Panama, and from Panama to Europe and North America, which explains how this Ecuadorian product came to be incorrectly known as Panama Hats. The popularity of the Panama hat started in the 20th century when a photograph of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt appeared in the world press wearing a hat. In 1930, it was Ecuador's number-one export, and all over the world a Panama Hat came to be considered a symbol of style and elegance.

26. Quality Details not recorded in the application or the inspection. DENSITY OF WEAVE. The Montecristi Cuenta, is a not official measure and consists of counting the numbers of straw fibers going vertically and horizontally, and multiply the two numbers together. A hat with a cuenta of 900 is a treasure. QUALITY OF WEAVE. It has to be uniform with straws of the same thickness COLOR. It has to be uniform but not perfect.

27. SECTION III SPECIFIC PROBLEMS OF DENOMINATION OF ORIGIN Opposition Weak Association No Technical Standards Economic Interest

28. OPPOSITIONS. In my opinion the most serious opposition filed was by the Cuenca Hat producer. The main argument was that the Paja Toquilla does not only grow in Montecristi and there are not specifications that the weavers could used to identify the difference between Montecristi and Cuenca Hats

29. THE DIFFERENCES Micro climate the latitude, humidity, rainfall and soil properties of Montecristi, create conditions that yield the smoothest, longest and strongest fiber of paja toquilla plants of any locale in Ecuador. The Microclimate of Cuenca is drier and of higher altitude (No study Exists in the DO) Treatment of hats Montecristi hats are treated with sulfur then washed (a longer slower process) Cuenca Hats are chemically bleached (this damages the fibers) Shape and Life. Montecristi hats can change the shape after being washed, Cuenca hats can not. Montecristi have a longer life. Cuenca can be used only a few years

30. OTHER PROBLEMS WEAK ASSOCIATION. Formed by persons with different levels of education, distrust, People normally exploited NO TECNICHAL STANDARDS.-No standards to measure and control the quality. ECONOMICAL INTEREST. The government has announced plans to build a refinery in El Aromo, the place where the paja toquilla is grown.

31. END OF THE PRESENTATION THANK YOU

32. Catalina Toko Arias

33. EXPORTACIONES DO ( Details not recorded in the application and inspection EXPORTATION 1949. 20.000 unites 1898 – 50.000 unites (America-Spanish War) 1944 to 1953. First product of Exportation from Ecuador 2002.US$ 502 dolares 2004.2005 US$ 685.000 COUNTRIES OF EXPORTACTION. USA the24% (approximate. 140.000) Italy the 13%, Peru the 10% Germany the 8%, (approximate 92.000) United Kingdom the 7% and the rest, the (31%) to 31 markets of America and Europe