As we have already noted, Bergamot production is limited almost exclusive- ly to a coastal strip in the province of Reggio Calabria, in the extreme south of Italy, and this is how it is identified in the E. U. decree awarding it P. D.O. (Protected Designation of Origin) status. Ever since 1704 and the creation of the so-called “aqua mirabilis”, a toilet water later to become known as “eau de As we have already noted, Bergamot production is limited almost exclusive- ly to a coastal strip in the province of Reggio Calabria, in the extreme south of Italy, and this is how it is identified in the E. U. decree awarding it P. D.O. (Protected Designation of Origin) status. Ever since 1704 and the creation of the so-called “aqua mirabilis”, a toilet water later to become known as “eau de formally certified and marketed. The “Consorzio di Tutela del Berga- motto di Reggio Calabria” (Consortium for the Protection of the Bergamot of Reggio Calabria) was established in 2007, thanks to the tenacity of a group of wholesale Bergamot producers, plus various processors and packagers. This group, headed by their lawyer, Ezio Piz- zi, managed to gain recognition for their Consortium by the Ministry of Agricul- ture the following year.
Only a year after its foundation, the “Consorzio di Tutela del Bergamotto” managed to fulfil the criteria required of these protective Consortiums by law. The requirements involve:
• Ensuring that the product is made according to the strict rules set out in the production guidelines.
• Protecting the product from imita- tions.
• Promoting and spreading awareness of the product and its consumption.
• Enhancing and improving the quality of the product to safeguard its typical character and special features.
These Consortiums are also entrusted with the important and sensitive task of managing the brands and labels which indicate conformity with the P. D.O. regulations. The law therefore entrusts the Consortiums with overseeing the production and marketing of the prod- uct, and each individual Consortium employs supervisory agents to carry out this task. They take the utmost care to protect the product from any attempts at counterfeiting or adulteration which (together with price instability) have un- fortunately been the cause of disaffec- tion on the part of the final consumer.
