A thirst for the authentic: craft drinks producers and the narration of authenticity

Abstract

There is a long academic tradition which positions the desire for authenticity as emerging as a symptom of dissatisfactions with modernity. Most recently, this has involved consumption of products that are valued for being authentic in contrast to mass produced commodities which are seen as being homogeneous, standardized and therefore inauthentic. A recent resurgence in interest in the idea of craft and craftwork has brought to the fore concerns about re-establishing connections between products, consumers and producers beyond rational market exchange. This research draws on interviews with 40 craft brewery and distillery workers to explore the ways in which authenticity is narrated as part of an ongoing effort to add value to their products and the contexts of their production. The article identifies six modes of authenticity which are drawn on in combination by participants to establish a narrative of authenticity. This is understood to be a clear illustration of the 'enrichment process' by which post-industrial economies manufacture value. A central element of craft drink producers' work is the marshalling of cultural value and engaging in communicative and performative acts that ascribe that value to products and the people involved in making them.

Arctic narratives: brewing a brand with neolocalism

“…Yet, a considerable degree of intentionality can be weaved into the expressions of neolocal through storytelling (e.g., Schnell and Reese 2014). In this process of "enrichment," the story that is told has not to be necessarily true, if it is good and properly narrated (Thurnell-Read 2019). For this reason, many microbreweries have exploited folklore, local myths as well as tales about local heroes in their narrative, which also represents a viable way to humanize their brand (Hede and Watne 2013).…”

Kindred spirits: Doing family through craft entrepreneurship

“…While many craft enterprises are often vocally opposed to corporate rationality emblematic in the business actions of sector dominators (Thurnell-Read, 2019), the discourses of entrepreneurship notably fail to challenge the ‘productivist’ ethos which the likes of Weeks (2011) have sought to problematise. Further, upholding craft entrepreneurship as a solution to the lack of family-friendly working conditions in the modern neoliberal economy risks furthering an increasingly widespread discourse that posits the development of ‘entrepreneurial character’ as the sole appropriate personal response to structural inequality and uncertainty (Morrin, 2018).…”

“…Thus, the story of their business is also that of their relationship, such that both were recounted during the interview as well as being told as part of the brand story on their website and again in local news coverage. Notably, such accounts that emphasise intimate personal ties serve to foreground many of the values of authenticity, creativity and passion which are widely valued by consumers of craft drinks and artisanal foods (Cope, 2014; Thurnell-Read, 2019) and may be used by producers to differentiate ‘from the large-scale brands against which they compete, and may be more likely to yield resonant – and lucrative – quality claims’ (Smith Maguire, 2013, p. 372). Further still, they clearly draw on discourses of appropriate and desirable coupledom and thereby imbue their brand with value underpinned by wider structures of heteronormativity.…”

‘You won’t See Anyone Promoting a Bronze’: Awards and Ambivalence Amongst Craft Gin Producers

“…Whilst it is clear that the most trusted awards are judged in blind tastings by recognised experts, this then leaves no space for recognition of where a great deal of time, effort and resources are focused -namely in the adding of value to products through the design of logos, bottles and publication materials, and through the creation of narratives about provenance, motivation and authenticity (Thurnell-Read, 2019;. During interviews, all gin makers acknowledged the importance of contexts and presentation by explaining the roles played by bottling, labelling, branding, context of consumption and the narrative of production.…”

“…Cope, 2014;Ocejo, 2017) that renewed academic interest in the delineation of quality and value, and the consecration of cultural tastes, has emerged in studies of the food and drink sector (Johnston and Bauman, 2015). Within these craft economies, values and practices that distinguish the mass production and consumption that dominated the late 19 th and much of the 20 th century are replaced with an emphasis on individual and autonomous 'makers' who produce tangible products of high quality and also work upon cultural narratives which establish their products as 'authentic' (Thurnell-Read, 2019).…”