Protected Geographical Indication from France
Par Benjamin Martin-Tardivat le jeudi 30 octobre 2008, 06:20 - EU and Alicante News - Lien permanent

The French have applied for Protected Geographical Indication status for the
term KIWI DE L'ADOUR. According to the description in the Official Journal of
the European Union this is a kiwifruit which is
"produced by a subtropical dioecious perennial (Actinidia deliciosa, ‘Hayward’)
growing in the Pays de l'Adour, the kiwi is a plump, firm fruit with excellent
organoleptic characteristics. It has a melting, juicy texture when ripe, with
bright green, fragrant and slightly acidic flesh. The ‘kiwi de l'Adour’ has a
characteristic brown to reddish green skin, covered with silky fine
hairs.
Production of the ‘kiwi de l'Adour’ was started by Henri Pedelucq who pioneered
the experimental introduction of the plant in the Adour basin. ... Pedelucq
realised immediately that the climate of the Pays de l'Adour was conducive to
growing kiwis.
The first harvest of kiwis, destined for Germany in 1972, was a huge success
which contributed to the sector's launch. Pedelucq therefore decided that year
to put the plants on the market.
The growing of kiwis subsequently spread in piecemeal fashion all over France,
but the climate and the soils of the Pays de l'Adour soon singled out the
region as the most suitable for the crop".
This application marks another remarkable step in the international journey of
the fruit in question. Originally known as the Chinese gooseberry, the fruit
was branded Kiwifruit in New Zealand, linking it with that country's emblem (a
flightless bird) for marketing purposes. That term has since become generic (it
was rebranded Zespri) and the fruit is now on its way to becoming a French
PGI.
see here