The Minister for Gozo Anton Refalo delivered a speech during the launch of a new Lord Chambray Beer. Minister Refalo congratulated Lord Chambray Brewery for their success and noted that this small company has come a long way in a few years, thanks to the entrepreneurial spirit of Samuele and Valentina.

He added that, "besides the financial investment that has gone into the building of this plant, there have been significant efforts and energy invested in producing a craft beer that is receiving awards in international competitions."

Minister Refalo said that, "Crafts, whether food or other products, are an essential part of our culture. These are products that distinguish a place and which visitors seek as part of the destinations' touristic experience. There are multiple economic benefits when such a community of hardworking and insightful producers is encouraged and supported to be successful."

"For this reason, the Ministry for Gozo had been actively sustaining the local crafts community through various initiatives, among them: the setting up of the Gozo Confederation for Agriculture and Fisheries; support for their annual Farm to Fork event; and the support for local artisans to participate for the first time in the Artigiano in Fiera, one of Europe's largest fairs," he said.

Dr Refalo added, "further to this the Ministry has produced promotional content on the visitgozo website and other media, and also a crafts guide for tourists, which is electronically available for mobile devices and will also shortly be available in print form."

"The Ministry for Gozo is engaged in talks with the Malta Crafts Council about the promotion of local crafts and more importantly with the Agriculture Directorate in Malta, to develop a recognised label which distinguishes genuine Gozo produce. This is part of a national quality scheme which is to be launched in the future."

He said that this initiative is being taken in collaboration with the expert assistance of other stakeholders, including the Ministry for Sustainable Development, the Environment and Climate Change, which ministry has been at the forefront of this scheme.

Minister Refalo stated that the work from the administrative end will be pursued for the benefit of the local crafts community, and welcomes any proposals which are a benefit to our economy and community.

Dr Refalo concluded by saying that "the Ministry for Gozo believes that genuine, local produce has the potential to communicate the authenticity of a destination in a unique way and to positively impact on a travellers' expectations of his/her trip."

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