The impact of product designations on innovation : the case of breweries in the United Kingdom

The European Union has a number of interventions which are designed to encourage diverse agricultural production, to protect product names from misuse and imitation, and to help consumers by giving them information concerning the specific character of the products. The three schemes, collectively known as Protected Geographical Status (PGS) are Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), and Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (TSG). [...] However, there has been limited analysis as to the possible impact of such interventions on the ability of enterprises to enhance their competitiveness through investment in innovation. The aim of the present work is to gain a better understanding of the impact of such policies on the types and levels of innovative activity in firms using PGS schemes

Characterization of craft beer through flavour component analysis by GC-MS and multivariate statistical tools

Beer is a rather popular drink and represents the most widely consumed alcoholic beverage in the world.The present research aims at characterizing the flavour profile of lager pilsner, the category of low fermentation beers most common in Europe. The largest portion of the global market is dominated by a few multinational companies, but in the last years the number of independent craft breweries has increased very rapidly also in countries where there weren’t an established craft brewing tradition. According to the Italian Brewers Association, in Italy there are eight brewing companies which operate 14 industrial breweries, which in the years have standardized the product to increase their slice of market. The craft-beer sector represents a niche market, about 3% of total production (1% in 2011) [EU Report, 2016]. Italy has a relatively young craft brewing tradition, but the data together with the new ways of consumption, can be considered promising for the sector development. In 2016, the “craft beer” has been defined for the first time in Italy with DDL 1328-B (art.35). Legislation does not consider the quality of the raw materials, but only the manufacturing processes: the artisanal beer-making is a beer obtained without microfiltration and pasteurization steps, unlike industrial products. In this contest, the aim of the study was to characterize the beers (all lager style) purchased on the market through the analysis of the aromatic profile of samples produced under different processes (craft methods or industrial processes). In fact, in addition to smaller production scale and independent, the main characteristic of craft beer is to put the emphasis on flavour and brewing techniques. Flavour, consisting of a large number of volatile compounds, has a great influence on consumer acceptability and, when safety and nutritional value are guaranteed, sensory parameters become the discriminating factor in the product quality assessment which determines the differentiation on the market. The identification of specific compounds, which confer a particular aroma, suitable to be used as potential quality/process markers in order to discriminate beer samples according to their production method. A headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS) was performed to evaluate the beer samples fingerprint. Multivariate statistical methods were then applied to the collected profiles to built model which could allow differentiating craft beers from all the others. Hence, the proposed method may represent an interesting tool to authenticate craft beer by verification of the compliance with their label description which, at the same time, can entail brand protection

Microbrewing and entrepreneurship : the origins, development and integration of real ale breweries in Britain

This paper reports on an exploratory two-stage study of microbreweries in the UK. The first stage comprises an analysis of data from the Small Independent Breweries Association to offer an aggregate picture of the sector. The second stage reports on a qualitative study of the experiences of 14 microbreweries. The findings from the fieldwork show that the UK microbrewing sector is growing, that competitiveness within the brewing establishment is based on artisan manufacture, provenance and diversity rather than price, and that the sector is contestable but operates as a competitive fringe within the greater industry. The study illustrates that microbreweries can contribute to local economies and that, because of the innovation, diversity and growth in the sector, entrepreneurship is in evidence. While saturation seems a threat, the evidence presented here suggests that UK microbrewing is a healthy sector, with the prospect of ongoing growth and contribution

Potential Supply and Demand for Apple and Cherry-Apple Hard Cider Markets in Michigan, and Constraints to Market Development

The current research explores the potential to develop a cherry-apple hard cider market as a potential means to increase demand for and the value of Michigan fruit grower's product. Factors affecting both the development of hard cider markets in Michigan and cherry-apple hard cider were explored. Research results show that the potential value of Michigan hard cider market is relatively small but significant, estimated at ranging between $580,000 and$2,900,000 per year. Microbrews would be primary actors to promote HC market. They are willing and able to dabble in it, promote it. But they are constrained by need for license and this impedes participation of many who would be otherwise interested. Some microbrews uninterested in state-wide push because they feel it will focus on sweet product that they are uninterested in producing. This position is reflective of a seeming contraction inherent in current enthusiasm over the potential of the market, as figures recent market growth is largely fueled by the current trendiness of "malternatives" as a beverage category, while the maintenance of the market, and the interests of some microbrewers and other purveyors is primarily derived from the traditional image of hard cider, with "traditional" vs. "trendy" hard cider products reflecting significant taste differences. Hard cider is also potentially an important product for wineries. There is a high sales potential for a Michigan-brewed hard cider product, however producing a hard cider that is produced exclusively from Michigan-grown fruit could be more difficult due to supply limitations, logistical constraints, and cost. Constraints to growth of hard cider industry include licensing requirements, taxation issues, primary ingredient sourcing and transport, and fluctuating prices, particularly for cherry juice. The research showed high potential for hard cider that blends cherries (and many other fruits) with apple, however such a product would be rotated with current hard cider, not added as a new product in most cases. Its demand increasing potential still exists, however, even if offered as a substitute to hard cider, due to its novelty and variety.Demand and Price Analysis,

Supporting rural entrepreneurship in the UK microbrewery sector

Purpose: The UK has seen rapid growth in the number of microbreweries but a concurrent decline in public house numbers raising concerns about the sustainability of this growth. This research explores the entrepreneurial characteristics of microbrewers to assess their motivations and growth potential. With an emphasis on rural based businesses, the local economic impacts are also examined. Design/methodology/approach: The research is informed by analysis of trends in both the brewing and public house sectors in the UK. Three days of observation at collaborative brewing events with 26 microbrewery owners and 3 microbrewery managers were supplemented with 15 semi-structured interviews. Findings: The findings indicate that the value attached to microbreweries extends beyond their economic contribution with wider outcomes including, training and job creation, the preservation of listed buildings and the enhancement of rural tourism. However, support of such outcomes can also distort competition. Originality/value: As competition increases in the sector, microbrewery owners need to become more entrepreneurial to maintain their market position. Competition is heightened by a number of lifestyle enterprises that can survive with lower profit levels while routes to market are limited by a decline in the public house sector. In such a pressured market, there is a need for clearer assessments of the impacts on local economies and entrepreneurship when grant funding is provided

Relationship between legitimation, competition and organizational death: current state of the art.

There is agreement among ecology researchers that the concepts of legitimation and competition are partly responsible for organizational selection. Finding adequate measures to represent these concepts, however, has been elusive and has been the main obstacle to the development of this stream of investigation. On the basis of the germinal density dependence model, we identify two lines of research, which have generated seven distinct models. This survey shows that there has been a general tendency to use only three variables to measure legitimation and competition, which are often measured together. However, we argue that fruitful results have emerged when efforts have been made to separate both concepts and that there is some potential in using new measures (mass or concentration) which have so far only found limited application in the field of population demography. These findings, together with the inconclusive results of this stream of research, allow us to identify the existing gaps in the literature and comment on directions for future research.Sociología de la organización; Cambio organizativo;