Brazil, Mexico sign deal to protect cachaça and tequila as national products

Brazil's cachaça and Mexico's tequila, the distinctive distilled beverages of their countries, will now enjoy full property and quality protections in each other's countries. An agreement signed by Brazil's President Michel Temer last Friday (Aug. 4) has recognized the two beverages as regional identifiers and distinctive products from their respective countries.

Under the agreement, all beverages sold as tequila in Brazil must be made in Mexico, and all cachaça sold in Mexico must be made in Brazil.

The two countries have been discussing adopting mutual protections for their iconic spirits since 2015. The deal will certify the quality and origin of these beverages in the two countries in compliance with traditional procedures and the control and supervision by the relevant authorities in each country.

“The agreement confirms the respective countries as traditional producers of their beverages and the relevance of these products for local culture, by ratifying the mutual interest in protecting the integrity and genuineness of the two national liquors,” an excerpt from the deal read.

Translated by Mayra Borges