A cigar may be granted the “Dominican cigar” GI if it contains at least 90% Dominican tobacco.

With the creation of the Regulatory Council for the “Dominican Cigar” Geographical Indication (GI), Dominican tobacco is moving closer to obtaining Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status.

As we reported last April (see L’Amateur English Edition #26), the Dominican Tobacco Institute (INTABACO) had been working for several months on implementing the GI—a crucial step toward boosting the international recognition of Dominican cigars and safeguarding their authenticity.

Iván Hernández Guzmán, Executive Director of INTABACO, presided over the swearing-in ceremony for the members of the GI Regulatory Council. Chaired by INTABACO, the Council comprises representatives from the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and SMEs (MICM), Procigar (the association of leading Dominican producers), and ProDominicana (the government agency for foreign investment promotion), as well as stakeholders from the cigar production, manufacturing, and export sectors. The Council also receives technical support from the Dominican Institute for Quality (INDOCAL) and the National Office of Industrial Property (ONAPI), agencies that will assist with conformity assessment and certification processes.

A cigar qualifies for the GI if it contains at least 90% Dominican tobacco, INTABACO Executive Director Iván Hernández Guzmán explained to L’Amateur de Cigare last April.

The Regulatory Council was established to defend, promote, and oversee the use of the “Dominican Cigar” Geographical Indication, ensuring that certified products meet the origin requirements, production methods, and organoleptic characteristics established for this designation.

Legal Framework

Article 70 of the Dominican Republic’s Law 20-00 on Industrial Property defines a geographical indication as “any name, designation, expression, image, or sign that indicates, directly or indirectly, that a product or service originates from a specific country, group of countries, region, locality, or place.”

Regarding designations of origin, the legislation defines them as a “geographical indication consisting of the name of a specific country, region, or place used to designate a product originating therein, where the quality, reputation, or other characteristic is essentially attributable to the geographical environment in which it is produced, including natural and human factors; a designation of origin shall also be considered as such if it consists of a name that, without being a geographical name, identifies a product as originating from a specific country, region, or place.”

Article 7 of Law 34-18, which reforms INTABACO, mandates that INTABACO “collaborate on the application processes for the registration of geographical indications and/or designations of origin carried out in accordance with the provisions of the Industrial Property Law,” and likewise “promote processes to obtain certification marks and designations of origin that strengthen the positioning of Dominican tobacco in international markets.”

To date, Cuban cigars are the only ones in the world to benefit from a PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) status, a designation displayed on all Habanos boxes since 1994.

Daniela Cruz Gil, correspondent in Santiago (Dominican Republic)
Photo: Swearing-in of the Regulatory Council (© INTABACO)