Configurações de mercados de cachaças artesanais: um estudo multicasos

Abstract

Cachaça is a product recognized as a cultural heritage of Brazil, being considered the second most consumed alcoholic beverage by Brazilians. In the last decades, the cachaça market has been shaped by several practices that are promoting significant changes in the image of the beverage, both in the domestic market and abroad, where several countries are beginning to appreciate it. The market for artisanal cachaça is composed of small producers who are carrying out various practices to adapt to the new market trends of this distillate. Specifically, Minas Gerais corresponds to the largest producing state of artisanal cachaça, accounting for 50% of Brazilian production. Having as a principle the discussions about economic thought, it is observed that markets have an important role in the development of societies, because traditionally, these institutions have always been considered as natural phenomena, neutral and regulated by the dynamics of supply and demand. However, the strands of the New Economic Sociology began to question this naturalness of the markets, starting to consider the social influences of the creation and transformation of the markets. In this sense, it was considered in this study the perception of the constitution of the markets through the practices, assuming that the dynamicity of the markets is related to the practices developed by the agents that are inserted in the field. In this way, the objective of this study was to investigate the process of construction of market practices performed in three family organizations producing artisanal cachaça, particularizing the normalizing, exchange and representational practices in the historical and socioeconomic context of these organizations. For that, a qualitative research of descriptive character was carried out, having as research method the study of multiple cases. Three cases were analyzed in organizations producing artisanal cachaça from the Center-West region of Minas Gerais and for data sources: interview, documentary research and non-participant observation were used in this study. As a way of understanding the data obtained in the field, the analysis of narratives was adopted as a method of analysis and from this, the comparative analysis was also used. The results show how the organizations analyzed developed their practices of action in the market through the context in which each one was inserted. In addition, it was possible to understand the owners' perceptions about the cachaça market, the performance of other agents, the forms of representation of the drink and the legislation in force in the sector. Through the results, it was possible to highlight some of the practices that determine the market dynamics of the artisanal cachaça, with emphasis on exchange practices, representatational or symbolic practices and normative practices. The performative effect of these practices on the constitution of the cachaça market and on the activities developed by the economic agents is perceived. Thus, it is observed how the activities developed b y the support institutions by means of the valorization of the symbolic elements of the drink and also in the development of norms by the State are modeling the reality of the market of artisanal cachaça markets.