From branding to solidarity: The COVID-19 impact on marketing Strachítunt cheese from Val Taleggio, Italy

Branding, labelling and certification are the principal instruments for marketing heritage cheese in the Italian Alps. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has put considerable strain on these tools. In Val Taleggio, where the Protected Designation of Origin cheese Strachítunt is made, the cooperative of...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Cristina Grasseni
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: ZRC SAZU, Založba ZRC 2022-10-01
Series:Acta Geographica Slovenica
Subjects:
Online Access:https://ojs.zrc-sazu.si/ags/article/view/10577
Description
Summary:Branding, labelling and certification are the principal instruments for marketing heritage cheese in the Italian Alps. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has put considerable strain on these tools. In Val Taleggio, where the Protected Designation of Origin cheese Strachítunt is made, the cooperative of producers suffered a breakdown in access to markets during the lockdown of March–May 2020. Their strategy was to appeal directly to consumers, connecting digitally with solidarity economy networks such as Gruppi di Acquisto Solidale (Solidarity Purchase Groups). Building on long-term ethnography, the article shows how this appeal brought to the surface a shared discourse and understanding of proximity and solidarity, which is not usually employed in the language of certification and labelling.
ISSN:1581-6613
1581-8314