MEET THE VALLEYS

Rural Quality

Quality products and services, with values and respect for the environment.

The Association for Promotion and Development of the Pas Valleys, in collaboration with other Local Action Groups in Spain, France, Italy, Greece and Hungary, have been working on building a European Territory Quality Brand, with the goal of creating a joint image between authentic rural regions. 

This joint brand comes from the common effort of public institutions, private business and social collectives that work to develop quality products and services according to traditional values. To be included in the Rural Quality Brand it is essential to commit with the principles of environmental respect, quality of production processes, rural identity and solidarity between businesses and entities. 

Any local business may ask to be part of the Quality Brand “Valles Pasiegos. El secreto de Cantabria” in order to impulse their products and services in a joint effort with other enterprises from the rest of Spain and the European Union.

What are the goals of Rural Quality?

The name “Valles Pasiegos. El secreto de Cantabria” has been step by step consolidated to give this region a spacial, social and economic entity of national recognition. Thanks to this, both the products elaborated and fabricated and the services offered in the region are a synonym of quality. As well as being an excellence label that strengthen Pas culture and lifestyle, unique due to its many singularities, the Quality Brand has managed to regulate, order and systematize an already existing potential of great scale and which can be a development factor in the region.

What are the benefits of Rural Quality?

There are countless benefits for businesses that join the Rural Quality Brand, such as the following:

  1. Joint products and services promotion.
  2. Joint forces for new markets access.
  3. National and international festivals participation.
  4. Communication campaigns.
  5. Rural Quality E-shop.
  6. Social media promotion.
  7. Sharing experiences with other Spanish regions.
  8. Dissemination Journeys of the «Rural Quality» Brand.
  9. Advice and support to companies and organizations to become more competitive in an increasingly globalised market, by exercising their activity with quality criterion.
  10. Increasing the enterprises added value.
  11. Boosting the promotion and marketing capabilities of enterprises and entities.
  12. Commitment to economic and sustainable development in their territories.
  13. Strengthening the region image.
  14. Networking with other rural territories.
  15. Access to training activities.
  16. Implementing politics that allow laboral and family life reconciliation.
  17. Politics of green purchases and environmental respect.
  18. Applying energetic efficiency and responsible water consumption measures.
  19. Collaborating with different entities and institutions from the region.
  20. Promote lifelong learning of the force labour.
  21. Annual design of an strategic marketing plan.
  22. Applying actions and participation in I+D+i projects.
  23. Products and services catalogues design.
  24. Networking.

How works the evaluation process?

The Evaluation Process determines if a company fulfill the Territorial Quality Brand “Calidad Rural. Valles Pasiegos” principles. The process verifies, recognizes and evaluates the product and/or service quality offered by the business and if it fulfills the Social Responsibility parameters relating economic, social and environmental quality.

The technical work involves:

• Data collection about the applicant and the activity.

• Technical testing of information.

• Technical verifying of the following of norms and general letter of the Brand “Calidad Rural. Valles Pasiegos” and the specific letter regarding the applicant’s sector.

• Redacting and emitting of the evaluation report.

The work method is the following:

1. Communication of the the evaluation’s start and information request , with a dossier made by the enterprise including:

Business Evaluation Guide with the documentation explaining the process to follow.
General Letter and Specific Letter of their sector.
Brand marketing material.

2. Visit to the company by the evaluation team with the aim of:

Visit and evaluate installations. 
Celebrate a meeting to jointly analyze the fulfillment degree of the Carta Específica and the Law.

3. Documentation analysis.

4. Measure Proposal for improvement and/or correction.

If a company fails to comply with any of the indicators assessed, a report will be issued proposing the improvement and/or corrective measures to be applied for compliance.

5. Evaluation report.

Once analyzed all the information compiled, a report will be issued stating the use approval of the brand.

A contract will be signed, establishing the conditions and characteristics of the brand.

The Evaluation Process is presented in a transparent, dinamic way, requiring a mutual trust and cooperation.

Address us for any inquires, the contact person in the Unidad de Evaluación is: Mateo Monasterio. Phone number: 942 59 19 99.