Petaluma, CA – Under the “Enjoy, it’s from Europe” program adopted by the European Union, a new campaign titled “Uncommon Flavors of Europe” will bring the attention of consumers and industry professionals to three products from Italy for the next three years in the U.S. and Canada: Asiago PDO cheese, Speck Alto Adige PGI ham and Pecorino Romano PDO cheese.
The program “Enjoy, it’s from Europe” promotes Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) foods from Europe and provides information on the EU quality system which strives to protect names of quality agricultural products.
The Uncommon Flavors campaign will kick off this year with press conferences in Brooklyn, New York on October 23rd and in Montreal, Canada on October 25th where producers of Asiago PDO, Speck Alto Adige PGI and Pecorino Romano PDO will be in attendance from Italy.
The campaign will market the partner products across web, television, radio, print advertising, digital campaigns, social media, supermarket demos, trade trips to Italy and through a “learn & earn” page on the campaign’s official website: http://www. uncommoneurope.eu/.
The Uncommon Flavors of Europe “Learn & Earn” page will give industry professionals and consumers the opportunity to go online and learn more about the three partner products and complete a quiz in order to earn entries in a drawing for a trip to visit the production zones of each product during the campaign.
About The Partner Products
Asiago PDO is made from milk from cows that graze on lush fields in the provinces of Trento and Vicenza and parts of the provinces of Padua and Treviso. Fresh Asiago tastes of creamy milk and melts easily on your tongue while aged Asiago varies from sweet and yeasty, to nutty and even notes of salted caramel, all depending on the age ranging from 4 months up to 15 months or more.
Speck Alto Adige PGI, made exclusively in the Alto Adige region of Italy, is a unique ham that melds the air-curing traditions of the Mediterranean with the smoke-curing traditions of the Alps. The process begins with the careful selection of high-quality, lean pork legs. The deboned meat is massaged with spices, garlic, bay leaf, juniper, pepper, rosemary, and sea salt. Each producer’s specific rub is a treasured family secret.
Pecorino Romano PDO dates back 2000 years and proudly continues the rich, long history of ancient Roman sheep’s milk cheeses in Italy. The sheep still graze on wild pastures filled with native flora on the island of Sardinia, the Lazio region and the province of Grosseto. Only there can Pecorino Romano PDO be made from fresh whole sheep’s milk from October to July.
About PDO and PGI
Of the EU quality certifications PDO certified foods have the strongest possible link to original historical practices, because their ingredients must come from and their production must occur within the natural environment in which the product developed. PGI foods are made with traditional production methods in their historic places of origin. While raw ingredients can be sourced outside the production area but within the EU, all ingredients are scrupulously monitored for quality.
Source: European Union
