WP 2 – Identification of best practices in the collective commercial valorisation of Alpine Food Intangible Cultural Heritage WP leader: KEDGE BS

STANZER ZWETSCHKE

Involved partners: University of Innsbruck Andrea Hemetsberger Michael Klingler Clemens Maaß

This project is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund through the Interreg Alpine Space programme.

Abstract

The region around the municipality of Stanz has long been known in Tyrol as an excellent fruit growing area. In particular, the plums have established themselves as a central product. On the one hand, they are consumed as dessert fruit and on the other hand, they are processed into high quality distillates. Distilling Schnaps has developed into a distinctive culture; about every third household in Stanz produces Schnaps. The fruit is distributed to a great extend collectively through the cooperative SALT, in which the farmers organize themselves. Abstract (German)

Die Region um die Gemeinde Stanz ist in Tirol seit langem als exzellentes Obstbaugebiet bekannt. Insbesondere die Zwetschken haben sich dabei als zentrales Produkt etabliert. Sie werden einerseits als Tafelobst konsumiert und zum anderen zu hochwertigen Destillaten verarbeitet. Um das Destillieren von Schnaps hat sich in Stanz eine ausgeprägte Kultur entwickelt, etwa jeder dritte Haushalt in Stanz brennt Schnaps. Das Obst wird zu einem Gutteil gemeinschaftlich über die Genossenschaft SALT vertrieben, in der sich die Bäuerinnen und Bauern organisieren.

1.1. Case typology

CASE STUDY: Stanzer Zwetschke

ICH-consistent product Typology - Survival

Plum (Prunus domestica subsp. domestica)

Spirits

Product type/supply chain Jam

Powidl (Zwetschkenröster)

Food Festival

Key partners

- Obstbauverein

- Brennereidorf Stanz

- SALT

Key resources

Business model - Knowledge

- Bio-physical particularities

Customer Relationship

- Direct marketing

- Festival

- Collective bargaining

Evaluation of ICH Predominantly direct sale from producers to consumers and commercialization culinary relations to tourism.

Geographical area Municipality of Stanz, Tyrol, Austria

1.2. Methodological procedures

In order to yield a broad empirical basis for the analysis of the commercial valorization of ICH consistent products and practices the following data has been collected in the study area Stanz where the festival Stanz Brennt! takes place:

1. Semi-structured interviews:

- Stefan Nothdurfter (distillery owner, 15.11.2017)

- Markus Auer (distillery owner & chairman of the distillery association Brennereidorf Stanz, 15.11.2017

2. Field observation of commercial enterprises:

- distillery GIGGUS

- distillery Edelbrand Markus Auer

3. Field observation of a festival/cultural local event:

- Festival Stanz Brennt!

4. Content analysis of websites and advertising materials

5. Analysis of secondary sources (see 1.4.7)

In November 2017, we conducted a field visit in the Austrian municipality of Stanz to collect the interview and field observation data. Stanz was determined as the sample area because it reflects the core region for the fruit cultivation as well as the localization of distilleries. Therefore, we attended the festival Stanz Brennt!, which is a cultural event that celebrates the harvest of the plums once a year. Our research focused on a mixture of criterion-based purposeful and snowball sampling techniques. Interview partners were selected to obtain an in-depth understanding of the composition of the diverse actor network (small-scale producers, associations and networks), as well as the traditional knowledge of cultivating, distilling and promoting the Stanzer Zwetschke. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the chairperson of the distillery association Brennereidorf Stanz and the owner of the renowned distillery Edelbrand Markus Auer. The research was completed with in-depth literature reviews (see reference list 1.4.7) and a content analysis of topic-related websites and advertising materials.

1.3. Cultural and historical background

Stanz is a municipality in the western part of Tyrol (Tiroler Oberland), located closely to the city of Landeck. Although it acts as an eponym for the Stanzer Zwetschke, the plum is also cultivated in the adjacent municipalities Grins and Pians. Combined, the three municipalities serve as the highest fruit growing area in Europe (above 1,000m). The altitude involves unique production conditions such as a low average temperature and contrasting long sun hours due to the southern exposure of the cultivation areas. As a result, the plums develop a high sugar content, which translates into a unique taste of the fruit. The Stanzer Zwetschke is in great demand for its high-quality taste in and outside Tyrol.

Several fables tell about the origin of the Stanzer Zwetschke. One story tells that the itinerant preacher Petrus Canisius, who spent some years in Innsbruck in the late 16th century, brought the plum to Stanz. Canisius did extended studies on agriculture and recognized the ideal conditions for fruit growing on the sunny plateau above Landeck. Subsequently, he himself is said to have planted the first plums in Stanz. During this time subsistence agriculture was dominant. Fruit trees were planted singularly on remaining spaces between the farmhouses and arable lands.

Under Austrian Empress Maria Theresia (1717 to 1780), government officials were sent out to gather information on the growing conditions in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. This was based on the goal to strengthen the ability to make a living from the regional farming conditions. The area of Stanz was decided upon to cultivate plums. The administration of Maria Theresia bestowed plum trees upon the local farmers with the obligation to plant and care for them. In 1787, a decree from the Habsburg monarchy admonished the farmers to make efforts to protect plants. The farmers were obligated to free the trees from moss, using wooden knives and rub ash onto the tree forks to prevent infestations with caterpillars and other insects. Nevertheless, the chronicles of the local church list numerous cases of harvest failure in the 19th century. This was a reason for the local farmers to organize and deepen their knowledge in plum cultivation. The first local “fruit nursery” was founded in 1875 in Grins and 22 years later the first fruit growers association (Obstbauverein) of the region was founded. The on-going industrialization after the Second World War created new jobs in industry and farmers opted for this possibility. To maintain the fruit orchards the region started early to implement incentives to continue the fruit cultivation.

Local plum varieties have emerged over time and adapted well to the local dry inner alpine climate. Already in the 19th century, locals started to promote fresh and dried plums as well as plum spirit. The Stanzer plum tree grows up until 10m and has a slim crown. The blossom is rather late and therefore it is safe from frost damage. The stone fruit is deep blue, with yellowish-greenish pulp and it is picked by hand. Through a long period of cultivation farmers gained knowledge and experiences on plum growing under its specific climate and ecological circumstances. The trees are cultivated on the hillsides.

The Stanzer Hauszwetschke (house plum of Stanz) was the dominant local plum variety until 1952/1954, when – due to frost – over 90% of the trees perished. Until then, the market had been supplied with Hauszwetschken, but those not from Stanz had less taste. Then, the Stanz farmers expanded their product range with the Italian and the Wangenheimer plum varieties until they experienced challenges due to climatic changes (warmer climate). These experiences and the close collaboration with Hubert Schneider who was running an experimental agronomic laboratory, five to six new varieties were adopted that are still now in use (Schlatter 2002).

Nowadays, the plum is the main agricultural output of the region. Since 2005, local traditions related to the plum are celebrated in the festival Stanz Brennt!, including a farmers’ market, farmers’ choir and other attractions. In 2009, the cookbook ‘Kulinarisches aus der Stanzer Zwetschke’ (Culinary delights from the Stanzer Zwetschke) was presented. In this way, it illustrates the historical significance of the Stanzer

Zwetschke in regional development. “Stanz will always have plums. That is tradition. This has something to do with the water, the right (of water usage, note) and plums just belong here” (S. Nothdurfter, interview, November 15, 2017). Thus, it can be considered an ICH-consistent innovation.

1.4. Evaluation 1.4.1. Key internal and external processes Main actors involved

Farmers

As is the case of many other municipalities in Tyrol, while Stanz has many agricultural activities, there are practically no full-time farmers left. Most of them practice agriculture in addition to a regular job, focusing on few products and activities. In Stanz, the majority of farms are invested in fruit growing. The distillery association Brennereidorf Stanz counted 45 members in 2012. The plum is ever-present in Stanz, with fruit trees all over the town, distilleries and inns offering plum dishes. Many farmers who cultivate the plum use it to produce their own schnapps.

SALT

SALT (the name derives from the regional dialect word salt – ‘to do it yourself’) is a cooperative with the fruit- growing association as one of the main stakeholders (others being for example the cattle association). Together they built with the support of EU-funding the so-called “house of agriculture” in the town center, which includes store facilities, rooms for seminars and meetings and hosts the infrastructure of SALT. Farmers from the region can ship their harvest to SALT, if they do not have buyer. There they get a fixed price for their goods. SALT distributes the plums later to various retailers. A main goal of the cooperative is to ensure good prices for the farmers by collective bargaining (see chapter 1.4.3). SALT has therefore an outstanding role in the economical sustainability of the Stanzer Zwetschke.

Obstbauverein

The local Obstbauverein (fruit-growing association) plays a central role in maintaining and passing on the knowledge of plum production in the region. Chairperson of the association is Stefan Nothdurfter, a farmer from Stanz. Most of the members of the association are active farmers, even though the significant majority has other occupations in addition. The association organizes multiple courses and is involved in researching new fruit varieties in order to face the challenges of climate change.

The association has played an important role in raising the standards of both fruit cultivation and distilling in the last decades by organizing education and training for farmers. A focus was to involve younger farmers who recently inherited their farms or would do so in a few years. This approach showed great success and played a key role in promoting the Stanzer Zwetschke as a premium product, as whole-fruits as well as schnapps, and to ensure inter-generational transfer of skills.

Brennereidorf Stanz

Stanz has an extremely high density of distilleries. About one third of the local households distil spirits. The Austrian law allows owners of fruit trees to use their own harvest to distil schnapps. On the other hand, there is only one professional distillery in Stanz (owned by Christoph Kössler). In the interviews, it was mentioned numerous times how important the exchange of knowledge within the community of distillers is. Most of them are proud to keep an open door when distilling so other famers can come and watch. This is a rather new approach which has only been applied in the last two decades, but it helped to increase the quality of the product significantly.

Brennereidorf Stanz is the association of distillers in Stanz. The association offers seminars, both to insiders and outsiders, promotes the products and functions as a coordination platform. Recently, they published a cook book for special creations focusing on the plum. The association is closely linked to the Obstbauverein and establishes formal and informal criteria for the products (e.g. which pesticides may or may not be used). Chairman is Markus Auer.

Many of the distillers take part in Tyrol-wide schnapps contests and Stanz often is able to achieve high placements. Some producers even felt that these contests are not challenging enough and therefore derived an own system, with stricter criteria.

While distilling schnapps in previous time was mainly a way of using fruits which were not suitable as dessert fruit and the spirit was used as a medicine, nowadays high-quality fruit is used, and the distilleries have been modernized. In general, the spirit of the plum in Stanz is of very high quality.

Tourismusverband

The tourism association also plays a crucial role in many of the activities around the Stanzer Zwetschke. Im the beginning, Stanz Brennt! was organized by an informal group of farmers. After conflicts with the regional administration–which in the interviews are described as mainly personal–the tourist association is now the main actor behind the festival Stanz Brennt!. The professionalization helped widen the customer base, resulting in one of the biggest annual events in the region.

Other activities

Especially the youngest generation, nowadays, experiments with new products made of the Stanzer Zwetschke: plum chutney, plum ketchup or jam are the most go-to-products. In general, they aim at greater diversity in the use of plums and are favored by locals who are not devoted to distilling. Up to now, they represent a niche and are only marketed off the premises of the farmers. These products are sold alongside with the schnapps directly at the distilleries or at local events, such as the festival Stanz Brennt!. This development also represents an opportunity for young local people to contribute their own ideas and wishes to the cultivation of the heritage.

Main safeguarding initiatives promoted

Genussregion Stanz

Genussregion Österreich (Region of Delight Austria), which the region has received since 2005 (Genussregion Stanzer Zwetschke), is an initiative between the Ministry of Sustainability and Tourism (BMNT) and the Agrarmarkt Austria Marketing (AMA). The aim of the initiative is to award traditional products and specialities typical of the region with a certified badge of state authority as well as to strengthen the connection between regions and the special products they produce. The program has a holistic approach, showing the embeddedness of unique products into the area where they come from. Since 2005, Stanz is listed among the pleasure regions in Austria. It is co-marketed by the tourism board TirolWEST.

Genussroute Stanzer Zwetschke

There is a walking trail going from the West to the East, having the Stanzer plum at the core of interest. One can walk along the Waals (local ancient watering systems), visit distilleries and the fruit-growing areas. Regular guided tours are being offered by the tourism board TirolWEST.

Stanz Brennt!

This is an annual event celebrating the local high-quality schnapps production. Founded in 2005, the main reason behind this event was to strengthen the brand of the Stanzer Zwetschke and create awareness for the uniqueness of the product and the involvement of locals (and particularly associations) in the whole production process. It is now one of the biggest festivals of the region, attracting many people from all over Tyrol but mainly from the nearby town of Landeck. Producers tell that is not so much about selling spirit directly at the festival, but more about establishing a long-term relationship to the customers. Many of them come again to buy products from a specific producer.

1.4.2. Business model and financial data

The central aspects of the Stanzer Zwetschke business model relate to:

- Obstbauverein

Key partners - Brennereidorf Stanz

- SALT

- Knowledge Key resources - Bio-physical particularities

- Direct marketing Customer - Festival Relationship - Collective bargaining

Key partners

The business model of the Stanzer Zwetschke consists of a network with diverse key partners. Farmers organize within the Obstbauverein, the association Brennereidorf Stanz and other formal and informal groups. The Obstbauverein, alongside with other associations again is one of the key actors behind SALT.

The best insight can be obtained by distinguish the two main output forms of the plum: First, the plum is sold as fruit, here there are two central distribution channels: First, there is a long tradition of farm shops, farmers markets and direct sales. Some farmers have contracts with fruit shops or other buyers such as restaurants and so on. In the last decade, SALT became a second pillar of distributing. Collectively, SALT bargains with big actors, such as supermarket chains in order to prevent price conflicts between the farmers. This approach grew more important over the last years, although the major share (around two thirds) of the harvest is still sold directly from the farmers.

Besides the marketing of the plum itself, the second-largest branch is the production of plum schnapps. 58 households (one third of the overall number of households in Stanz) distill schnapps. One of them does so as a principal source of business. Schnapps has always been made in Stanz; it can be considered a local tradition that has been further developed over time. Before the 1990s, the main distilled varieties of distilled were Obstler spirits, a combination of apple and plum, or a combination of everything available. The quality was poor, since the base for distilling were the residues that could not be used for selling. In the 1990s, there was an increased focus on producing genuine schnapps, predominantly from plums. The excellent quality of the raw product and the collaborative efforts initiated by members of the Obstbauverein (e.g. seminars on quality of schnapps-production) have taken the production to a completely new level. The local producers have won a number of awards for the quality of the schnapps since then (e.g. Tyrolean Schnapps Award by the Tyrolean Chamber of Agriculture). Based on this development, a new association has been founded in 2005 (Brennereidorf Stanz) to foster the standing of Stanz and focus – once again – on the collaborative effort of maintaining high quality and communal help. Going along with this development, a code of honour has been established. The central aspect of the code is to prevent price undercutting and internal competition (Trying to “steal” customers from other members of the Brennereidorf Stanz is highly frowned upon).

Key resources

There are two main resources the lead to the outstanding position of the Stanzer Zwetschke: First, there is a vast amount of knowledge among local farmers. This one hand traces back to the century old tradition of cultivating plum in the region and on the other hand was boosted through innovation, schooling and experimenting with new varieties in recent years. The second resource is the growing area itself. Bio-physical particularities are fundamental for the Stanzer Zwetschke. The nature of the plum is a direct result of the agrarian growing conditions of the region. These are characterized by:

- High altitude; - Phosphate-rich soil; - Long sun exposure and cold nights; - Perfect soil for growing.

Already in the 12th century, it was said “especially sugar-rich plums grow among the mountain people in the Oberinntal” (S. Nothdurfter, interview, November 15, 2017). Water rights have played an important role (see below) – Stanz is a dry region (perfect for stone fruits) – which have been secured/fought for early on. Due to the high altitude (1000 m a.s.l.) and high number of hours of sun per year have the effect that the average temperature is lower than e.g. in Landeck (1.8 °C less), particularly during the night. These conditions have the effect that the cell division and cell growth takes longer, having larger plums (up to 100g/plum, almost the size of an apple), and very high levels of sugar (up to 30%).

Water in Stanz is high of phosphate and minerals, allowing mineral spiciness of the plum. Historically, there has been a rather unique system in place: The region of Stanz is located in the inner-Alpine dry zone, which made water a highly contested resource. There are historic rights, which can be traced back to 1528, which grants Stanz the privilege to source water from nearby communities. However, there are traces of older irrigation system, which trace back even further to the 12th century. The historic irrigation system of Stanz consisted of so-called Waale, which can be thought of as open channels. They use the natural gradient to guide the water from the source to the cultivated areas. In previous times, highly complicated social regulations were in place, specifying who was allowed to use water at which times and who was in charge of maintenance. Even though the water system has been modernized after World War II, the properties of the water remain an important factor in producing the plum. Thus, the Stanzer Zwetschke is a high-quality product with limited quantities on the market.

Relationships

Customer relationships are highly diverse. Many of the producers have long-lasting relationships with individual or collective buyers. Especially the distilleries invest a lot into maintaining close relationships with the customers, offering tastings, visits of the distilleries and some of them even workshops. As a consequence, many distillers have customers who come on a yearly basis, purchasing greater supplies. The festival Stanz Brennt! and the Genussroute also attract tourists who are looking for souvenirs or regional specialties.

Fig. 1. Genussregion Stanzer Zwetschke (www.amtirol.at)

Pricing

SALT guarantees a fixed price to farmers, so that they are not tempted to sell at low price to get rid of high quantities (see below for further details). As a result, the farmers can achieve a good over-all price for their product. SALT is also key in negotiating with large retailers, so they cannot put the farmers in competition among themselves.

Stanz Brennt!

Stanz Brennt! is an annual event, first organized in 2005 to foster the image of Stanz as a hotspot of distilleries and create awareness among customers about the quality of products. The name is a wordplay, circling around the German term ‘brennt’, which means burning as well as distilling. Therefore, the name of the festival both translates to ‘Stanz is distilling’ as well as ‘Stanz is on fire’.

Guerilla marketing was central at the beginning. Especially Stefan Nothdurfter (inventor of the event) built on numerous contacts to the media, as highlighted in one of his anecdotes: In order to gain media attention, he allegedly contacted an acquaintance who worked for the Tyrolean radio traffic service in order to make an announcement during the traffic service that people should avoid the area around Landeck (the closest city to Stanz), due to the festival Stanz Brennt!. This way a larger audience was aware of the happening.

The initial target audience of Stanz Brennt! consisted of regional associations and clubs (Vereine) that were pre-contacted. The advantage there was that they arrived as a group wanting to have a good time, they came with their own means of transport (i.e. buses that did not have to be organised by Stanz Brennt!), and they were willing to spend money on high quality spirits and other regional/local food made predominantly from the Stanzer Zwetschke. The event has proven to be a success in terms of number of visitors and media

presence; at some point the whole village had to be closed down due to the masses of people that wanted to partake.

After approximately five years, Nothdurfter as the organizer and the mayor of Stanz entered into a dispute over security concepts leading to the closedown of Stanz Brennt!. It was later taken up again by a “neutral” organizer (the tourism board TirolWEST) and since then organized by them. This also meant that the previous guerrilla-marketing-tactics have been replaced by more conventional and “professionalized” forms of marketing and organization. The core feature here, however, of showing off high-quality products for enjoyment rather than mass production is still being held high.

1.4.3. Distribution channels, pricing, and promotion considerations Collective bargaining: SALT

“Salt” is a word in the local dialect and means “self”: Say it yourself, think for yourself, do it yourself. Since “nobody will do it for you” (S. Nothdurfter, interview, November 15, 2017). From the beginning, the narrative framing of the product played a crucial role. In order to make SALT work, “history and a story line are needed. Without a good story, nobody was going to be part of it.” (S. Nothdurfter, interview, November 15, 2017).

A first attempt to create a cooperative took place approximately 30 years ago was met with local resistance. Different interest groups, such as regional associations or individual farmers, could not reach an agreement over distribution of costs or influence over the network in the making. Hence, the first attempt failed. Years later, with Austria’s entry into the European Union and the resulting flow of subsidies (Target Region 1B), the idea of SALT was taken up again once again. The combination of high external subsidies for agricultural work and the lack of local cooperation among producers created difficulties at the times. These manifested themselves particularly in sales, as wholesalers came to the village and increased price dumping and fierce competition among the small-scale farmers. As a result, the communal project SALT has been set up, financed by local associations (e.g. Obstbauverein) and subsidized by the European Union.

Nowadays, SALT federates not only used by plum producers, but also small-scale slaughter-facilities and almost any agrarian production area of Stanz under one roof. It also collaborates with local schools for healthy food.

For plums in particular, a guaranteed minimum price is set every year. All producers can (but are not obliged to) sell their fruits at this price to SALT. SALT, then takes care of further marketing and sale of the product. In order to do so, certain standards have been set, among which pesticide residue free production is central.

The brand, the price and the production standards were set, so SALT had stronger power to negotiate with wholesalers and retailers. In the interviews, it is descried as a common practice to sell less than the asked amount, even if the stock would be high enough to meet the demands. A fictional shortage is created this way, which helps maintaining a high price level when bargaining with retailers. “You order 3000 trays, but I tell you I only got 2000. And if I had 4000, I say only 2000.” (S. Nothdurfter, interview, November 15, 2017).

About one third of the total plum production is sold via SALT. The largest customer is not allowed to buy more than ten to 15 % of the overall production to avoid dependency.

The main customer groups are the following.

 Individuals: This group of customers are consumers who distrust retailers. They travel directly to the plum producer, have high knowledge of the product and the producer. Long-standing producer- customer-relations are central here. SALT does not play any role here. Pricing is according to the agreement between the producer and the consumer (SALT does not have any restrictions here, either).  Specialized trade: This group comes directly to SALT to buy the plums. They are predominantly from Innsbruck (e.g. Markthalle, Niederwieser), but also Munich. Particularly the specialized traders in Munich sell internationally. When the price is right, plums are, e.g., shipped to Toronto to be sold in specialized shops for 1 Canadian Dollar per item.  Wholesalers (10-15%): SALT delivers directly to MPreis. The switch from wholesaler SPAR to MPREIS also improved the connection to the distribution center, which is now located in Innsbruck.  Processors (approx. 10%): During the main harvest season, the product is also delivered to processors (e.g. Krapfenmanufaktur; Zwetschkenknödel production in Hall → 150,000 dumplings are being produced at the time of Stanz Brennt!; premium yoghurt producer in Vienna, first class hotel industry sector in Hamburg, Munich, Vienna, Lech).

Marketing and branding

The key element in the marketing concept of the region is to create a narrative, which underlines the unique character of the product. Stanzer Zwetschken are sold not just as plums, which are cultivated in this municipality, but as something insoluble bound to the region. While plums are also cultivated in other areas in Tyrol, the plums from Stanz are portrayed to be something special, which only here can be found. Key elements in this narrative are the long-lasting history, the special conditions between altitude, watering systems and sun exposure and the outstanding involvement of the local community. It was crucial for establishing this frame to create a sense of unity among the farmers in the region. Farmers are aware that their success relies on the consumer’s trust in the high quality of their products.

Stanzer Zwetschke is as a word-and-picture-brand (“Wort und Bildmarke”, registered Nr. 003982221), which means the name and the logo are legally bound together. Setting up a brand was one of the core assets in the success of the last 20 years. (S. Nothdurfter, interview, November 15, 2017). This logo and the brand Stanzer Zwetschke are used by all producers in Stanz as well as in the bordering municipalities Grins and Pians. This aims to strengthen the over-all impact of the brand.

On-site product tasting

As mentioned above, Stanz has an extremely high density of distilleries. Roughly on third of the households distil schnapps. The most common connection to customers is them directly visiting the distilleries. Here tastings are offered to the interested public, some farmers even build own tasting rooms very the offer small seminars. Further, the process of distilling schnapps can be witnessed to some extent. There are also introduction courses offered, where schnapps enthusiast can learn how distil spirit. These courses, interestingly, are not only direct to the outsiders of the community, by explicitly targeting a younger audience (Jungbrennerkurse), the bond between young community members and this tradition is to be strengthened.

Sale of the schnapps

Most of the schnapps produced in Stanz is being sold directly from the distilleries. The main customer base are regulars who maintain long-standing relationships with the producers. They

From spring to summer, but mostly in autumn, hikers make up a big sales margin. They either make reservations for visiting the distilleries (being showcased, product testing inclusive), or go from house to house to see who is home to visit. This is the great advantage of Stanz, since a village of 600 inhabitants hosts over 50 distilleries.

A third (but less significant) branch of sale is to local restaurants and bars, or specialized shops. Here, however, the consumers tend to come directly to the distilleries. SALT, for example, does not play a role in the distribution or marketing of the schnapps.

1.4.4. Economic and social impacts on local community

Stanz accounts for approximately 25 ha of cultivation area. Approximately 250 to 300 tons of plum are produced annually. For the production of schnapps, other fruits are cultivated as well, such as apples, pears and different sorts of berries. The importance of the plum in Stanz grew after World War II when the cultivation of grain generally declined in Tyrol and other forms of agriculture (dairy production in most parts) were on the rise. The chamber of agriculture financed several thousand plum trees in this period.

High awareness among the local inhabitants towards the ICH is evident. Many associations in the region, which target the plum with their activities, include members who as well as members outside of agriculture. People who do not cultivate plums themselves help their neighbors during harvest season. Overall, people from the region strongly connect to the product and are involved in activities surrounding the cultivation of the plum.

1.4.5. Evaluation of ICH commercialization

The case of the Stanzer Zwetschke represents a broad approach towards ICH commercialization. The collective efforts to establish the plum as a premium product supports on the one hand the farmers in the region to generate a sustainable product-based income source. The farmers sell their products directly to the customers on the one hand and on the other hand via specialized retailers in Innsbruck or Munich. On the other hand, local restaurants and hotels (HoReCa) benefit from various culinary possibilities as well as the integration of the Stanzer Zwetschke in the Genussroute. Overall, the state of commercialization of ICH is balanced. The participation of a great variety of stakeholders and the cooperative organizational structure of SALT are success factors that reduce the socio-economic vulnerability of small producers in particular.

Local Non-local

Product-based Direct sale from Specialized retailers producers to (predominantly customers Innsbruck, but also Munich)

Local ski resorts (for Zwetschkenröster); Experience-based combination with schnapps burning and Genussroute

Conflicts, difficulties, and authenticity issues

As portrayed above, some conflicts arose within the community with establishing new developments, such as SALT and Stanz Brennt!. These, however, were resolved quickly.

The latest conflicts within the community circled around the question whether or not to distill plums which are not from the region when in need. Due to climate conditions, Stanz suffered extreme harvest failures in recent times. Some farmers only harvested “a hat full of plums” (M. Auer, interview, November 15, 2017). Some who see farming and distilling as more of a hobby did not distill any plums these years. Others, whose livelihood depends on selling schnapps purchased plums from other parts of Tyrol. The farmers came to an understanding that only schnapps made from plums from the region may be label Stanzer Zwetschke, schnapps from plums from other parts (such as Thauer) is sold as Tiroler Zwetschke.

1.4.6. Future perspectives

Overall, the Stanzer Zwetschke can be considered as an outstanding success story. It is a highly-recognizable and highly-valued product within the region of Tyrol. The two major components seem to be a unique resource and highly involved community members. The farmers invested a lot of time and effort into strengthening the brand and showed creative approaches to market their product. Within in the community there is a lot of support but also control so that high standards are met by every producer.

A key challenge in the near future will be the change of the climatic conditions. Farmers already experiment with new varieties, but late and unexpected frost periods have been a big thread to the plum production in recent years.

Many other aspects of the case study, such as the collective bargaining institution in order to avoid price dumping, can be considered best-practice approaches for other ICH-consistent products. The Stanzer Zwetschke was able to acquire a niche within the food market due to its outstanding quality, so the customer base is willing to invest higher prices for the product.

1.4.7. Reference list

Documents, books

Juen, W., Wieser, J., Böhm, T. (2007): Das Tiroler Schnapsbuch. Edelbrände mit Tradition. Wien, Innsbruck. Tyrolia-Verlag.

Juen, W., Zeni, U. (2018): Tiroler Schnapsroute. Innsbruck. Löwenzahn-Verlag.

Schlatter, M. (2002): Der sozioökonomische Strukturwandel der Landwirtschaft im westtirolerischen Realteilungsgebiet seit der Mitte des 19. Jahrhunderts am Beispiel der Gemeinde Stanz bei Landeck. Diploma thesis. Institute of Geography, University of Innsbruck. Innsbruck.

Interviews

Hafner, R., Maaß, C. (2017, November 15). Personal interview with S. Nothdurfter.

Hafner, R., Maaß, C. (2017, November 15). Personal interview with M. Auer.

Websites http://brennereidorf.at/ https://www.giggus.at https://tirolwest.at/de/stanzer-zwetschke-schnaps https://www.bmnt.gv.at/land/lebensmittel/trad-lebensmittel/obst/stanzer_zwetschke.html https://www.suedtirol-tirol.com/brennereidorf-in-tirol-stanz-brennt-schnaps,1720,9686954 https://www.tt.com/lebensart/freizeit/8950308/3500-besucher-beim-kultfest-stanz-brennt https://www.tirol.tl/de/highlights/sehenswuerdigkeiten/brennereidorf-stanz/ https://www.meinbezirk.at/landeck/c-leute/stanz-brennt_a2872670