Continuation of the controversy in Espelette … Ezpela in the Basque language, meaning in French, a variety of boxwood and root of the name of the town Espelette is since spring 2021 a trademark registered at the INPI (the National Institute of Property Industrial).
Trademark registered by the company Etxe Peio which covers a very wide range of regional food products and even espadrilles. Group present in the Basque country, in the Landes and in the Gironde with fifteen stores. One hundred people work there, half of whom are based at the Espelette production site.
But then, pepper producers in the village created their agricultural company under the same name, EARL Ezpela, 20 years ago.
The Ezpela brand registered for 18 years
So the registration of the mark causes friction. In his defense, Pierre Giudicelli de Mercury, the manager of the Exte Peio group, born in the Basque country in 2008, explains “that the company Accoceberry, which he bought in 2019, had already registered the Ezpela brand on December 11, 2003, and we are only extending this initiative by Pierre Accoceberry which dates back 18 years ! “.
And the manager added “following the takeover of the Accoceberry cannery by Etxe Peio, it was considered useful to renew the protection of this mark because its commercial exploitation had never in fact ceased since 2003“.
This mark was affixed to products ordered from Accoceberry by delicatessens and other retailers.
The boss of the Etxe Peio group still defends himself against wanting to prevent producers of Espelette peppers, the spouses Ramuntxo Lecuona and Maritxu Garacotche, whose company has been called Ezpela for 20 years, from continuing to produce under this name. “J‘ve filed products with product classes that are operated by my company. The EARL Ezpela company can continue on the classes that have not been submitted by me and in particular on the agricultural activity. The word Ezpela may continue to be used. These brands can coexist just like Kukulu which uses it on cheese.“.
“The cabal must end”
“Today I consider myself legitimate, we work for the municipality, we work for the associations of the village, we manufacture our products in Espelette, we have received a label of gourmet craftsmen issued by the CCI which demonstrates through a book of charges, that 80% of our products are manufactured in the Espelette manufacturing unit (…) then this cabal against my company and my family must stop ! “hammers the manager, originally from Corsica.
Following the damage caused to the Etxe Peio store in Espelette, including a tag on the storefront, on New Year’s Eve and following the violence of the comments made on social networks, the manager Pierre Giudicelli of Mercury decided to file a complaint.