Mountain cheese is first artisanal product to receive Arte Stamp in Santa Catarina

The state of Santa Catarina has started to deliver the Arte Stamp for handmade products. The first product to receive certification in the state was mountain cheese produced by the Zanelato family, in the municipality of Bom Retiro.
calendar icon 21 September 2020
clock icon 3 minute read

With the seal, the cheese can be marketed throughout the country. The official delivery of the Art Seal took place on Wednesday (16), at Santo Antônio property, the secretary of Family Agriculture and Cooperatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fernando Schwanke, representing Minister Tereza Cristina; and the Secretary of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development, Ricardo de Gouvêa.

Secretary Fernando Schwanke points out that the main objective of Selo Arte is to ensure that “products of high quality and food safety standards are not restricted to small properties, but that win over consumers in other parts of the country and add value to the artisanal work of the farmer".

The opportunity created by certification, enabling producers to expand the market for their products and sell safely, is also highlighted by state secretary Ricardo de Gouvêa. “This seal is a recognition of the work of the producer, who will now be able to sell his products more safely. To offer opportunities like this is to encourage the family to stay in the countryside, producing with a better quality of life ”.

The Arte Stamp is the fulfillment of an old dream of artisanal producers from all over Brazil. It allows products such as cheese, sausages, fish and honey to be freely sold anywhere in the national territory, eliminating bureaucratic obstacles. For consumers, it is a guarantee of quality, with the assurance that production is artisanal and respects good agricultural and sanitary practices.

To be considered artisanal, the product must be submitted to the control of the official inspection service (municipal, state or federal), have individualized and genuine manufacturing, which maintains the uniqueness and traditional, cultural or regional characteristics.

The couple Air and Jacinta Zanelato started cheese production as a hobby, to take advantage of the milk produced at Sítio Santo Antônio, which they acquired in 2006, in the municipality of Bom Retiro, with the purpose of producing wines and raising cattle. The activity, which came from its ancestors, has been standing out from other activities.

The delivery of the Arte Stamp is celebrated by the producer Air Zanelato. “We are small, but we work with a lot of quality. Artesanal Serrano Cheese is made with few ingredients, but it has a lot of history and tradition of our ancestors. They gave us the gift of making a product that spans generations and is unique to our region. Introducing him to more people and regions is a source of pride ”.

The Agricultural Research and Rural Extension Company of Santa Catarina (Epagri) helped the family to improve production, through technical assistance, field visits, group meetings and training in good agricultural and manufacturing practices.

In Santa Catarina, the Integrated Agricultural Development Company of Santa Catarina (Cidasc), through the State Department for the Inspection of Products of Animal Origin (DEINP), is responsible for granting the seal to products that meet the requirements set out in state regulations and federal. The president of Cidasc, Luciane Surdi, reinforces that the establishments must have some type of official inspection service and that the Art Seal will be granted to products and not to establishments.

* With information from the Secretariat of Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development of Santa Catarina

TheCattleSite News Desk

© 2000 - 2024 - Global Ag Media. All Rights Reserved | No part of this site may be reproduced without permission.