Markets of artisanal cheese-based agroindustries in the Southwest of Paraná

Abstract

The paper wants to understand why the artisanal cheeses family agroindustries that produce artisanal cheeses formally legalized in the Municipal Inspection System (SIM), they sell the majority part of production in the informal market. To achieve this goal, methodologically, six cheese family producers were interviewed in four municipalities in the Southwest Region of Paraná, in the year 2015. The results and conclusions reveal a varied and multidimensional set of elements that simultaneously act on the experiences and structure the local and informal markets. Farmers try to 'circumvent' the rules of food expert systems and build more autonomous regional development strategies. In response to the appeal of consumers to maintain the artisanal characteristics of cheeses sold in the short marketing chains. On the other hand, they also try to move away from the State, inasmuch as, even if they are formal by under State inspectional system, they seek the social construction of their markets outside the laws and expert food systems that the institutional environment claims.