What AREPO Quality does

AREPO Quality (Association of European Regions for Products of Origin) is a non-profit network association founded in 2004 and headquartered in Bordeaux, France, with a Brussels representation office hosted by the Emilia-Romagna Region. The organization serves as a pan-European network of regional governments and producer associations focused on quality and origin agri-food products, with particular emphasis on Geographical Indications (GIs) including PDO, PGI, and organic certifications. Its operational footprint is intentionally lean at approximately 8 staff members, including a Secretary General, EU Policy and Project Manager, EU Affairs Manager, Administrative Assistant, and EU Project and Communication Consultant, reflecting its association-network model rather than a commercial entity.

AREPO's core outputs include EU policy advocacy on quality schemes and CAP reform, knowledge resources (publications, databases, GI bibliography, map of formative offers), event series (the European Events on Quality and Origin Products), and participation in EU-funded research consortia. It is currently engaged in the GI SMART Horizon Europe project (€2.55M consortium budget, kicked off June 2024) and has participated historically in MOVING (Horizon 2020, 23 partner organizations coordinated by University of Córdoba), AGROSMARTcoop (Interreg Sudoe, €1.295M), AGROSMARTglobal, and Strength2Food. Digital platforms include the GI SMART Community Platform launched in April 2025 and the AGROSMARTcoop virtual platform. The governance structure is led by an Executive Board headed by President Alessandro Beduschi (Regional Minister for Agriculture of Lombardia Region), with Vice President César Saldaña (President of CADO) and Treasurer Temanuata Girard (Vice-President for Agriculture of Centre-Val de Loire Region).

AREPO generates revenue through recurring membership fees from European regions (including Lombardia, Liguria, Sardegna, Thessaly, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Centre-Val de Loire) and associate members (including ECOVALIA), supplemented by EU project sub-grants. Its go-to-market motion is event-driven and policy-driven, anchored by EU-level stakeholder convening rather than commercial sales. Geographic scope covers France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, and Portugal with operations and influence spanning the broader EU policy landscape.

Name

AREPO Quality

Legal name

AREPO

Website

https://arepoquality.eu

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

AREPO Quality is a non-profit association of European regions and producer associations, founded 2004 and headquartered in Bordeaux, that advocates for geographical indications and quality agri-food products through EU policy engagement, research projects, and member events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bordeaux

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: AREPO generates revenue through membership fees from European regions and associate members including producer associations and organizations like ECOVALIA.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

AREPO is a non-profit pan-European network association of regions and producer associations that advocates for and protects European quality and origin products, particularly those with geographical indications (PDO, PGI). It delivers EU policy advocacy, coordinates participation in EU-funded research projects (Horizon Europe, Horizon 2020, Interreg Sudoe), and provides members with a GIs toolbox of publications, databases, a bibliography, and a map of formative offers on EU quality schemes.

Product overview

AREPO Quality is a network association (not a product company) that provides resources, platforms, and knowledge tools for European regions and producer associations focused on quality and origin products and geographical indications. The portfolio includes the GI-SMART community platform for Horizon Europe research, the AGROSMARTcoop virtual cooperation platform for agri-food cooperatives, and knowledge resources including publications, databases, a bibliography, and a map of formative offers on EU quality schemes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• GI-SMART Platform
• AGROSMARTcoop Virtual Platform
• GIs Toolbox - Publications & Studies
• GIs Toolbox - Databases
• GIs Toolbox - Map of Formative Offers
• GIs Toolbox - Bibliography

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary, minor and supporting.

• GI SMART ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGI SMART is a Horizon Europe project (€2,554,531.67 budget) investigating the contribution of geographical indications to sustainable development. AREPO participates in the project focusing on GI research and policy recommendations.
• MOVING Project ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMOVING (MOuntain Valorization through INterconnectedness and Green growth) is a Horizon 2020 project coordinated by University of Córdoba with 23 partner organisations. AREPO contributed to policy frameworks and mountain value chain analysis.
• AGROSMARTglobal ConsortiumsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterreg Sudoe project supporting digital internationalisation of agri-food cooperatives and protection of quality schemes in international digital markets. AREPO provided GI protection expertise.
• AGROSMARTcoop ConsortiumsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterreg Sudoe project (€1,295,000 budget, 75% ERDF co-funded) strengthening competitiveness of agri-food cooperatives in South-West Europe through eco-innovation and intelligent marketing.
• Strength2Food ConsortiumsecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner5-year EU-funded project providing evidence-based recommendations on food quality policy implementation. AREPO serves as expert member of the Stakeholder Advisory Board.
• ECOVALIAminorOthersAssociate member of AREPO, ECOVALIA is an organization supporting organic agriculture and quality schemes.
• oriGIn EUsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerAREPO collaborates with oriGIn EU (Organization for an International Geographical Indications Network) on GI conferences and policy positions including the GI conference report on producers' vision for the future of GIs.
• EFOW (European Federation of Origin Wines)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerAREPO and EFOW jointly publish GI conference reports, including the producers' vision for the future of geographical indications.
• EuromontanasecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in MOVING project analysis of EU optional quality term 'mountain product'. Euromontana focuses on mountain areas and sustainable development.
• University of CórdobacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinator of the MOVING Horizon 2020 project, partnering with AREPO on mountain valorization and GI sustainability research.
• Emilia-Romagna RegionsupportingOthersHosts AREPO's Brussels representation office at 21 rue Montoyer, providing infrastructure for EU affairs operations.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• oriGIn EU: Organization for an International Geographical Indications Network, EU branch. AREPO collaborates with oriGIn EU on GI conferences and policy positions, and both organizations defend the same constituency of GI producers and regions at EU level.
• ECOVALIA: Spanish association promoting organic agriculture and certification, and AREPO associate member. Comparable as a Spanish-rooted non-profit advocacy association representing producers in differentiated quality schemes within the EU.
• Euromontana: European association focused on mountain areas and sustainable development. Euromontana partners with AREPO on the MOVING project and on the EU optional quality term 'mountain product', a closely adjacent policy domain to AREPO's GI work.
• EFOW (European Federation of Origin Wines): Federation representing origin wine appellations in the EU. AREPO and EFOW jointly publish GI conference reports, reflecting their overlapping mandate on EU quality policy and GI protection for origin-labelled products.

Emerging players

• European Council of Young Farmers (CEJA): Representative body for young farmers across the EU. Engages with CAP reform and generational sustainability of EU agriculture, partially overlapping with AREPO's rural development and quality policy advocacy.
• Slow Food: Global movement advocating for good, clean and fair food, with a strong focus on traditional and artisanal products. Comparable as a non-profit advocacy network promoting food quality and origin-linked production, but with a broader cultural and consumer mandate.
• Via Campesina: International peasants' movement with strong EU presence. Operates on EU agricultural policy including CAP and quality frameworks, sharing the grassroots advocacy orientation characteristic of AREPO.

Others

• CIHEAM (International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies): Intergovernmental organization focused on Mediterranean agriculture, food systems, and rural development. Comparable as a European-level institution running research and capacity-building programmes on quality agri-food products.

Broad incumbents

• Copa-Cogeca: Umbrella organization representing EU farmers (Copa) and agricultural cooperatives (Cogeca). A much larger incumbent that engages with the same CAP and quality policy dossiers that AREPO influences, but with a broader agricultural remit rather than a focus on origin products.
• FoodDrinkEurope: Representative body for the European food and drink industry. Operates at the same EU policy interface on quality schemes and GI regulation, but represents the wider processed food industry rather than origin-labelled producers.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arepoquality

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about AREPO Quality