Using a case study, this paper examines how EU geographical indications (GIs) standards can integrate into Hungarian socio-embodied patterns. It uses apricots from the underdeveloped region of Hungary as an example, defined in the EU GI context as a local resource of cultural identity. The collective memory of the Gönc region is examined in relation to products and services that have existed for generations. It suggests that innovative responses to existing isolated economic services could provide coherence among the three pillars of sustainability given policy and institutional innovations addressed through domestic laws and policies designed to innovate and expand markets.