Ten years after the creation of the APCM (Association for the Promotion of the Menton Lemon) to gain recognition for the Menton Lemon, the famous golden fruit emblem of Menton has just received a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), granted by the European Union.
The result of a long effort that opens up promising economic prospects.
A little historical reminder: In the early 2000s, the new Agglomeration Community of the French Riviera (CARF) decided to revive the production of the “Menton Lemon”. In the city of citrus fruits, of course, but also in the neighboring areas of Menton (Roquebrune-Cap Martin, Castellar, Gorbio, Sainte-Agnès).
The idea was simple, at least on paper: to defend local identity agriculture, organize the production, and promote the citrus fruit with a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), similar to the principle of other famous French terroir products.
About ten years later, after many efforts to draft the application and acknowledging “moments of discouragement,” the APCM was finally notified by the European Union of the valuable decree granting the PGI to the Menton Lemon.
An excellent piece of news awaited for six months, after an initial success in the spring and the acceptance of the application by France. The final step remained, that of the Commission in Brussels, which thus rendered a favorable decision.
What is the Menton Lemon? It has a glorious history. The one it experienced until the 18th century, when the cultivation of the “golden fruit” supported the entire city, and the production was exported worldwide to fight scurvy or to adorn the tables of the most prominent.
