Galicia was a pioneer in terms of having its own brand to represent the Galician crafts sector throughout the world. Artesanía de Galicia is a synonym of quality, design and innovation, a guarantee for consumers that the product bearing this label was made in an artisan workshop registered in the General Crafts Register of the Xunta de Galicia.

Currently, there are more than 830 workshops belonging to the Artesanía de Galicia brand, bringing together 88 craft activities, including ceramics and pottery, jewellery, basketry, woodwork, carpentry, stonemasonry and textiles, among others.

Small handicraft businesses such as the one run by Santiago Besteiro (Entrepreneurship Award 2022 at the National Crafts Awards) in Monterroso (Lugo), who considers the label to be "the best national proposal as a support brand for artisans". Or that of the ceramist Laura Delgado (Galicia Crafts 2022 Award) who, like Besteiro, highlights "the opportunity to participate in campaigns, fairs and events offered by the brand and that individually could not be contemplated". "The fact that a multitude of workshops have joined in recent years raises the level and improves the quality, favouring the brand and giving much more visibility to those of us who are part of it," says Delgado.

Besteiro also emphasises that "thanks to the different lines of aid offered by the Xunta, Galician craftsmen are becoming more competitive".

How to be part of the brand?

All craft workshops registered in the Galician General Crafts Register are given the Artesanía de Galicia (Galician Crafts) label. In addition, those craft sales establishments with five workshops registered in the Register as suppliers and registered under the corresponding heading may also use the label.

Commercial establishments wishing to apply to join the label must complete the standard application form  and submit it in person at any of the places and registers established in the regulations governing the common administrative procedure or by electronic means, together with the required documentation (DNI or NIE of the applicant or representative, NIF of the entity, certification issued by the Tax Agency indicating the headings of the Economic Activities Tax under which the applicant is registered and purchase invoices and proof of payment for at least the five workshops registered in the Galician General Crafts Register).

How does it benefit me?

The Artesanía de Galicia brand, recognised by consumers as a quality and prestige guarantee for products, helps to boost the national and international standing of craftsmanship and implies greater promotion and marketing of Galician craft products, as well as contributing to the following:

• Access to grants promoted by the Xunta de Galicia.
• Participation in all the initiatives promoted by the Fundación Pública Artesanía de Galicia.
• Giving Galician handicrafts an image that distinguishes them and identifies their origin.
• Promoting the spread of Galician craftsmanship and fostering its commercialisation.
• Protecting and maintaining the prestige of Galician craftsmen and women and their work.
• Informing consumers about craft production.
• Supporting points of sale by offering the necessary information to differentiate it in the market.

The origins of Artesanía de Galicia

The brand was an initiative of the Galician Association of Craftsmen (AGA) in the 1990s. The Xunta de Galicia adopted the model in 2000 and turned it into an official brand with its own regulations to serve as an umbrella and offer a common, harmonious, coordinated and representative image of Galician craft products.

The aim of the Fundación Pública Artesanía de Galicia (Galician Crafts Public Foundation), which depends on the Xunta de Galicia, is to promote the crafts sector through strategies that enable it to establish links and synergies, make Galician products visible and promote them at the main national and international fairs and to access new markets through the opening of new marketing channels.

The Xunta de Galicia facilitates the acquisition and distribution of the brand's packaging material and a personalised indicator to the workshops registered in the Galician General Crafts Register and authorised points of sale. The Galician Association of Craftsmen has, under various agreements, the concession to coordinate this work.