Made by Chileans: 10 Years Promoting the "Made in Chile" Label Around the World 

It was in March 2016 when a 100% Chilean olive oil brand decided to take the story behind its product to the next level: showcasing the country on its labels. That’s how Pedro Pablo Valenzuela, general manager of Zeitun, decided to join the newly created Made by Chileans program, with the goal of giving his product a distinctive edge.

“At first, I didn’t know much about what the program was all about, but I found the Chile brand really interesting. In general, I’ve always been very proud of what we do here, and when they proposed this idea, I thought it was a great way to put us on the global map, since Chile is such a wonderful country,” says Pedro Pablo Valenzuela, general manager of Zeitun.

A decade after its creation, the brand brand usage program—also known as Made by Chileans—has evolved from a brand usage tool into a community that highlights the value of origin, as well as the talent, conviction, and capability of a country committed to doing things right. Currently, more than 3,700 companies are licensees, of which 68% are product-based and 32% are service-based. Additionally, half of the users are from regional areas.

As part of this commemoration, an event was held on March 25 that brought together nearly a hundred program participants to celebrate the program’s 10th anniversary. The event was attended by the Acting Undersecretary for International Economic Relations, Felipe Lopeandía, and the Director General of ProChile, Ignacio Fernández, along with representatives from the public and private sectors. Also in attendance was Martín Sigren, captain of the national rugby team, who focused his remarks on resilience and drive as values shared by athletes, program participants, and Chileans in general.

The "Marca Chile" brand in more than 150 countries

The initiative aims to promote the value of origin in both domestic and international markets, helping to foster a preference for Chilean products and establishing this value as a source of pride, responsibility, and differentiation. Currently, participants in the program reach more than 150 countries through their exports, with a particularly strong presence in Argentina, the United States, Brazil, China, Japan, and Spain.

Patricio Poblete, corporate communications manager at Concha y Toro—a company that exports to 130 countries—states that “for us, as a Chilean company, since we began by exporting to the world, we export in every bottle a piece of Chilean territory, a story, a narrative, that travels through the wine. Therefore, Chile’s origin is everything. And the Chile brand and name serve as a guarantee and a seal of quality for our wines.”

“The fact that the Made by Chileans program has reached its 10th anniversary is perhaps the best proof of its success in becoming a national policy—one that has been supported by successive governments across the political spectrum,” says Enzo Abbagliati, acting executive director of Marca Chile.

“There is no such thing as a successful country brand unless it is embraced by the citizens of the country it represents. From that perspective, the ‘Made by Chileans’ community, which uses the Marca Chile origin label, effectively serves as Chile’s ambassadors to the world. On many occasions, Chile enters homes, enters offices, and enters various places through a product—a product bearing the Marca Chile label. Therefore, they are our gateway, our ambassadors in many places,” concludes Abbagliati.

The Made by Chileans network has gained recognition even in countries such as Spain and the United Kingdom, standing out for features that make it unique on the international stage: a free and expedited licensing process managed through a digital platform, and a cross-sectoral model that brings together public and private sector stakeholders under a shared identity.

“Over the past 10 years, Made by Chileans has established itself as a pioneering program in origin management, to the point that today other countries look to Chile as a model for how to build a community of companies around a country brand. “We have ensured that the seal represents not only quality, but also a history, an identity, and a way of doing things that is recognized in various markets. That is why we invite more companies to join this network and become part of a community that carries Chile’s name to the world,” says Víctor Palma, Director of Strategic Alliances at Marca Chile.

For more information about the program, visit the Made by Chileans website.