Canary Islands' Agaete Coffee Advances Toward EU Protected Status

The Government of the Canary Islands has forwarded the dossier for the "Café de Agaete" to the European Commission, seeking an Indicación Geográfica Protegida (IGP). The application, promoted by the Association Agroagaete, the Ayuntamiento of Agaete and the Instituto Canario de Calidad Agroalimentaria (ICCA), cleared the national public information phase without any objections.

If the Commission validates the request within the six‑month examination period, the coffee – the only one cultivated in Spain and the only coffee with a protected geographical indication in the EU – will receive a community seal guaranteeing its origin and quality. The designation is expected to bolster the rural economy of the Agaete valley, where the Arabica Typica variety has been grown at 150‑550 m altitude since the 19th century and earned a bronze medal at the 1889 Paris Universal Exhibition.

ICCA director Luis Arráez Guadalupe highlighted the approval as a technical endorsement and a decisive step toward legal protection for this unique product.