Guarapuava craft beers receive Brazil's first geographical indication

The National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) granted a Geographical Indication (IG) registration (number 167) to the craft beers produced in Guarapuava, Paraná, marking the first such recognition for Brazilian craft beer. The application was made by the Associação das Cervejarias de Guarapuava (Guaracerva) and its president, Larissa Vier, who said the award brings pride and will increase visibility, tourism and market opportunities for local brewers.

Guarapuava, already known as Brazil's national capital of barley and malt, supplies roughly 20% of the country's barley output. A record barley harvest in Paraná in 2025 – 493,000 tonnes, 71.6% above the previous year and accounting for about 78% of national production – has spurred massive investment in the state's beverage sector. Over R$5 billion has been poured into new facilities, including the largest malt plant in Latin America, expansions by Heineken and Ambev, and a new glass‑bottle factory, driving a 47% rise in formal employment in the industry between 2018 and 2025.