Pica Lemon

The lemon tree lemon,with acid and juicy pulp is protected by a yellow and fragrant crust. It originates in India or Malaysia, and then it was introduced to Greece and Rome, where it was used as a condiment and medicine and the Crusades knights took ittoSpain. It was brought to Pica by the Spaniards around 1536, where, thanks to the kindness of the local climate it obtained outstanding characteristics of aroma, color and flavor, and characterized it is for being especially juicy and because it can be consumed throughout the year .

Voices of tradition say that Mr. Domingo Baltierra brought plants (introduced by the Spanish in South America) of the subtle lemon from Piura (north of Peru) to his farmin Pica. Because of its multifunctional qualities in food, confectionery and beverage processing, etc., the subtle lemon quickly became popular with locals, and during the exploitation of nitrate in the second half of the nineteenth century it became an important source of income. Its cultivation increased due to the end of Huantajaya and the decay of the wine industry.

Under Chilean administration, the lemon produced in these oasis, Pica, Matilla and Quisma,  was considered one of a kind for its special properties. This quality identified these people as the only producers of this type of lemon in Chile. Hence the name, the PICA LEMON

As in the past,the locals from Pica developed and improved their wines, their descendants fruitgrowers developed natural and organic lemon cultivation technology and improved its quality. This century-old technology and community practice,is part of the activities of the farms and their products, especially the Pica lemon which is the main agricultural heritage of the oasis.

The Pica lemon (Citrus aurantifolia) corresponds to a subtle lime that has two qualities that differentiates it from the competition, andis directly related to the place of production, having unique features due to weather conditions that allow the production of a product of unique quality.

The first distinctive quality that characterizesthis type of lemon is its small size, thin peel and unique aroma. It differs from other acid limes mainly for its aroma, which is determined by the high content of limonene( essential oil ) in the peel, which ranges between 45 and 50 % , in contrast to other limes such as that from Peru and the subtle lemon from Vallenar, Ovalle , Chile producing areas in which the content of limonene fluctuates between 5 and 13 %.

The second quality is defined by the work of ten years, which allowed first to test and second toshow that the fruit produced in Pica is unique. From this, it achieves a geographical indication (GI). The definition of I.G. is summarized in the following paragraph, «In Chile, from December 2005, the Industrial Property Law (No. 19.039) recognizes and protects the category Geographical Indication (GI) and, within this, the Designation of Origin (DO) for agricultural and forestry products and agribusiness different to wines and spirits.”

As defined by the law, a Geographical Indication applies to products that have a specific geographical origin. In this case, the Pica Lemon meets that standard, and that possess qualities or a reputation derived specifically from their place of origin; in this point, it also complies with the standard, and thanks to the soil and climate characteristics, the product has superior physical qualities (essential oils).Specifically the PICA LEMON has qualities derived from the place of production and is subject to specific local factors such as climate and soil.