ARZ

The Transylvania Authentica Brand

Transylvania Authentica Programme is seeking to establish ways in which to ensure the survival of Transylvania's incredibly rich agrarian culture and its traditional foods and agricultural products, by bringing together the region’s smaller producers and manufacturers.

Mission

Transylvania Authentica seeks to protect the region’s unique natural and cultural heritage by promoting and developing sustainable traditional livelihood.

Objectives

• To recognize the inherent economic value of Transylvania's remarkable heritage,
• To encourage greater use of Transylvania's environmental and cultural heritage as business assets,
• To promote distinctive high quality products and services rooted in the region and tradition,
• To link producers to market opportunities and to each other, and to guide consumer choice,
• To support small business development and reward sustainable business practices,
• To empower communities and enable the choice to stay local.

The programme has set the goal to attract the consumers’ attention to the traditional, high-quality, natural and at the same time environmental friendly Transylvanian products and services, by the means of collective marketing.

In order to achieve this goal, the system of certification for granting the right to use the „Transylvania Authentica” brand was elaborated, introduced and implemented.

For the Transylvania Authentica conformity certification, only those individuals / small producers, SMEs are eligible to be granted the right to use the brand which:

• have trading and producer's certificate registered in Transylvania
• own the propriety rights connected with the applied products
• offer a characteristic local product or service
• bear direct responsibility for the conditions, quality of the manufacturing of the product
• observes the legal conditions connected with manufacturing and distribution of the product

The right of using the Transylvania Authentica brand is awarded in four different categories:

Accommodation/Gastronomy

In this category, those commercial activities can qualify, through which the service provider offers accommodation and/or meal in characteristic Transylvanian and environmentally friendly conditions, in order to promote the local natural and cultural milieu.

Arts & Crafts

In this category, there are eligible handmade, unique, characteristic Transylvanian, traditional products, which are produced in environmentally friendly conditions.

Food & Drink

Food or drink products that are characteristically Transylvanian and are produced in environmentally friendly conditions can be certified under this category.

Experiences

Experiences represent services, which by means of recreation and entertaining programmes or through tours promote the local natural and cultural milieu (ex. apiary, bird watching, hiking, horse riding tours, traditional programmes etc.).

According to the certification system, a product or service can be considered of „Transylvania Authentica” quality, if it respects the national and European laws and the standards expressed in the Operational Rules of the brand. Another precondition for awarding the right to use the „Transylvania Authentica” brand is that the product/service respects the basic and specific eligibility standards issued by the Environmental Partnership Foundation.

The certification process and the request for the right to use the brand can be initiated at the Environmental Partnership Foundation only by legal entities registered in Transylvania or by small producers who possess a producer’s license.

The first certification-awarding panel took place in June 2009. Based upon the inspection reports written by the auditors and after discussing about the applicants, the Award Panel accepted applications from 13 producers and service providers. They are called Transylvania Authentica members.

Contact and more information: www.repf.ro