Hop Report 2008

Following the successful registration of the European protected designation of origin „ZATECKY CHMEL“ (Saaz hops) in May 2007 hops and hop products from the crop 2007 could for the first time carry the label with logos of ZATECKY CHMEL and European protected designation of origin.

Many merchant companies used the opportunity in the last hop processing season and so for the first time in history the hop products from the Saaz variety grown in the Saaz hop growing region were delivered to the breweries with a unique label. In 2007 it was possible to place this label on hops grown in the Czech Republic in 138 villages with an acreage 3642 ha. The majority of these hops were delivered to Japan.

The label with the logos of protected designation of origin was first introduced to the public during the Zatec hop festival – on the 1st Septemer 2007 by the minister of Agriculture of the Czech Republic Mr. Petr Gandalovic, the vice prime minister for European affairs Mr. Alexandr Vondra, the headman of Ustecky region Mr. Jiri Sulc and the mayor of the Royal town Zatec Mr. Erich Knoblauch.

The application for the designation was submitted in 2004 by the Hop Growers Union of the Czech Republic. The preparation and the negotiations with the European Commission and the Czech Industrial Property Office however started already in 2002.

“The protected designation of origin „ZATECKY CHMEL“ (Saaz hops) is the first and still the only designation for hops within the EU and also one of the first such designations given to Czech agricultural or food product. This also confirms the uniqueness and tradition of these hops” said the Hop Growers Union representative Mr. Zdenek Rosa.