Alpfoodway Work Package T2 Identification of Best Practices in the Commercial Valorisation of Alpine Food ICH
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AlpFoodway Work Package T2 Identification of Best Practices in the Commercial Valorisation of Alpine Food ICH Deliverable D.T2.1.1 Map of ICH Food Commercial Valorisation Practices Across the Alpine Space June 30, 2018 2 Coordination, comparative analysis and report writing Prof. Diego Rinallo, Kedge Business School Contributing AlpFoodway Partners: - Kedge Business School - University of Innsbruck - Munich University of Applied Science - Regional Development Agency of Norther Primorska Ltd Nova Gorica Acknowledgements We are grateful to Dr Harriet Deacon for helpful suggestions on a previous draft of this document, and to the other AlpFoodway partners for their comments and feedback. 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction 2. Methodology 2.1 Literature review on the commercial valorisation of ICH 2.2 Development of a conceptual framework 2.3 Data gathering 2.4 Data comparison, analysis, and discussion 3. The commercial valorisation of ICH: Finding a balance between lost market opportunities and over-commercialisation 4. No firm is an island: Collective marketing at the core of the commercial valorisation of Alpine food ICH 4.1 A multi-level product promotion approach: from individual producers to umbrella marketing organisations 4.2. Local/Regional government’s integrated promotional approaches 4.3 Territorial brands 4.4 Slow Food: An international protagonist in the commercial valorisation of ICH-consistent products 5. ICH-consistent products: Finding a balance between tradition and innovation 5.1 Quality schemes and labels do not necessarily result in the safeguarding of ICH-consistent products 5.2 Survivals, retro-innovations, and living ICH products 5.3 Justifying higher prices 6. ICH-consistent experiences 6.1 Storytelling and taste education through experiences 6.2 The Price of Experiences 6.3 Cooperation between cultural, commercial, and tourism promotion institutions 7. The distribution of ICH-consistent products 7.1 Direct distribution and cooperative solutions 7.2 Indirect distribution: The need for a selective approach 7.3 The difficult relationship with large-scale retailers 8. Restaurants and other Ho.Re.Ca. outlets 9. Festivals and cultural events 10. Periodic markets and trade fairs 11. Summary and conclusions 4 List of Tables Table 1 Distribution of ICH commercial valorisation cases according to country and typology Table 2 Illustrative cases of Alpine food-related ICH-supporting marketing organisations Table 3 Swiss territorial brands Table 4a ICH-consistent products: Illustrative cases of survivals Table 4b ICH-consistent products: Illustrative cases of retro-innovations Table 4c ICH-consistent products: Illustrative cases of living Intangible Cultural Heritage products Table 5 ICH-consistent experiences: Illustrative cases Table 6 Retailing and wholesaling of ICH-consistent products: Illustrative cases Table 7 ICH-consistent restaurants and bars: Illustrative cases Table 8 Two typologies of cultural events and festivals Table 9 ICH-consistent cultural events and festivals: Illustrative cases Table 10 ICH-consistent periodic market and trade fairs: Illustrative cases Table 11 Main Professional Trade Shows in the Food Industry in Europe List of Figures Figure 1 Geolocalisation of cases examined Figure 2 A conceptual framework for the evaluation of ICH commercialisation 5 1. Introduction This document, prepared in the context of the Alpine Space INTERREG project AlpFoodway’s Work Package (WP) T2, maps food-related Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) commercial valorisation practices across the Alpine Space. In the context of the present document, ICH is defined based on the UNESCO’s (2003) Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage1, according to which cultural heritage goes beyond monuments and material objects to include “the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, skills – as well as the instruments, objects, artefacts and cultural spaces associated therewith – that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage” (art. 1). ICH can be manifested in the following domains (art. 2): oral traditions and expressions; performing arts; social practices, rituals and festive events; knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe; and traditional craftmanship. In this context, safeguarding refers to the “measures aimed at ensuring the viability of the intangible cultural heritage, including the identification, documentation, research, preservation, protection, promotion, enhancement, transmission, particularly through formal and non-formal education, as well as the revitalization of the various aspects of such heritage” (art. 3). Taking these definitions as a reference point, this documents elaborates on the links between commercial valorisation and the preservation, protection, promotion, enhancement, transmission, and revitalisation of ICH in the context of the Alpine Space. Methodologically, the present map of food-related ICH commercial valorisation practices is based on secondary data such as academic research, news articles, and online sources. This report is the result of a collective data gathering and interpretation effort carried out by all AlpFoodway WP T2 partners (Kedge Business School, University of Innsbruck, Munich University of Applied Science, and Regional Development Agency of Norther Primorska Ltd Nova Gorica), and benefits from many discussions carried out online and in the context of various AlpFoodway meetings. Numerous case studies were analysed and main typologies of commercial valorisation practices and typical actors involved were identified. This provided an initial understanding of frequent problems and facilitating factors, which will guide subsequent AlpFoodway activities. 2. Methodology The conceptual framework reported in this document was developed in various steps, as detailed below. 2.1 Literature review on the commercial valorisation of ICH According to UNESCO, which shaped literature on this subject, commercialisation can be a mixed blessing for heritage communities as it can contribute to safeguard the area’s ICH but can also have various negative consequences. Based on the 1 Available online: https://ich.unesco.org/en/convention. 6 analysis of UNESCO documents and other academic sources, we initially operationalised commercial valorisation as the set of context-dependent practices and approaches that, through a balancing of various interests successfully raise awareness about and promote ICH to local inhabitants, tourists, non-local consumers and other relevant stakeholders without distorting or diluting the area's ICH to satisfy consumer or tourist expectations. Additionally, ICH is commercially valorised when the local community benefits economically from the commercial activities, instead of being exploited by third parties (see chapter 3 for further details). 2.2 Development of a conceptual framework A framework for analysis, building on marketing scholarship and insight, was developed and discussed among WP T2 partners. At the core of the framework are these inter-twined elements: - to be commercially valorised, food-related intangible cultural heritage needs to be turned into marketable offers either in the form of products or experiences; - ICH-consistent products require appropriate narrative communication approaches, based on a storytelling logic, so that consumers can properly distinguish them from lower-priced alternatives; - given that agriculture and food production in mountain areas is more expensive than in non-mountainous areas, a key challenge for the marketing of ICH-consistent products is to legitimise and justify price differentials; - experiences can orchestrate products and other elements of an area’s tangible heritage (e.g., fields, buildings, etc.) in ways that can enrich an area’s tourism attractiveness; - both experiences and products can be consumed locally, in the heritage communities (by local residents and tourists alike), or elsewhere, in destination markets such as large metropolitan areas where consumers who value such products and experiences are more likely to be found. Based on these premises, AlpFoodway WP T2 partners sampled cases of ICH- consistent products and experiences, as well as cases of practices and organisations that are instrumental in the commercial valorisation of food-related ICH, such as: - collective marketing organisations: this category includes organisations of various kind (private or public; for profit or not-for-profit; focused on agriculture, food production, commerce, sustainable development, tourism or culture). Their geographical scope can range from local to national to international, and ICH commercial valorisation may be their main raison d’être or just one of their many organisational goals. - retailing/wholesaling: this category includes distribution channels for ICH- consistent products and covers both local and non-local outlets, as well as online and brick-and-mortar retailers of various typologies (large national retailers, independent specialty stores, wholesalers) with different market positioning; 7 - Ho.Re.Ca. (Hotellerie, restaurants, catering): this category covers mostly restaurants but also other categories of food service firms, such as bars and hotels. - festivals and cultural events: this category covers various food festivals and various other typologies of cultural events, which often attract a mixed audience of local residents and tourists; - periodic markets and trade fairs: this category includes