Estratégias de marketing dos agentes da cadeia do agronegócio do café

Abstract

This pieceofwork was aimedatthe marketing strategies forthe increase in coffee consumption in the internai market adopted by the agents ofthe coffee agribusiness chain in the áreas ofthe South and Cerrado of Minas Gerais, evaluating the integration factor in the determination ofsuch strategies and its influence in the competitiveness ofthe sector. The theoretical reference focused on understanding and characterizing the chain, the marketing strategies and the Porter model ofcompetitive forces. As for methodology, qualitative procedures were used, the analysis ofdocuments being pointed out, statistical risings and personal interviews with several representatives ofagents ofthe chain. As for the results, strategies ofsegmentation ofthe product being performed by the several agents ofthe chain in an individualized way were identified. Also noticed were the search for quality improvement and the development of differentiated products, pointing outtheir ^trackability", asthe bases for most of these strategies. Evidently there is a call for a larger integration among these agents forthe strategies to range the whole chain. The institutional supportwas also identified as a marketing strategy which is madeevidentwith the process of Certification ofOrigin and efforts in the dissemination ofthe coffee culture in society which, in a certain way comes as a major integration factor among the several agents ofthe chain. In spite ofthis, a differentiated positioning was verifíed among the agents of production, industry and distribution, with marketing strategies being established in agreement with their interest and specific need on each one ofthese agents, making non-existent, therefore, an integration in the whole chain. Intense rivalry was verifíed in the industry, and the strategies have shown contrary both as forto the quality ofthe product and to the increase in consumption. In that sense, the strategies addressed to the segmentation ofthe product andthe search for differentiated markets, the quality ofthe product being pointed out, can be shown as a form ofincreasing the competitiveness oflhe segment, for they enable the increase ofthe production agents' negotiation power before the industry, and that ofthe latter before the agents ofdistribution. The communication to the final consumer is therefore, an indispensable factor, in this segmentation process.