Can the market for superior quality chocolate be a viable alternative for small and medium producers?

Abstract

The consumption of quality food has generated new forms of production and, consequently, new market niches in rural areas. The main transformation is related to the origin of raw materials and the characteristics of production and marketing, and not just the physical, chemical and microbiological parameters that guide the production of industries. The aim of this article is to analyze the determining elements in the construction of the uniqueness of superior quality chocolate in southern Brazil. The research involved literature review, combined with a qualitative content analysis and, finally, were interviewed in depth “chocolate makers", researchers and experts in the area. It appears that alternativity and uniqueness are rooted in specific territories, associated with intangible issues (tacit and acquired know-how, production practices and customs) and the tangible that is associated with the almond, from planting, harvesting, fermentation and alchemist factors in chocolate production. Differentiation criteria and judgment devices are the result of the negotiation process, in which the actors transact values that are associated with distinct terroirs, in the institutionalization of the variety and genetic rarity of the almond, and the cocoa and chocolate production methods, that creates entry barriers for small producers.