The Craft Beer Market in Argentina: An Exploratory Study of Local Brewers’ and Consumers’ Perceptions in Mar del Plata

Abstract

During the last twenty years, Argentina's craft beer industry has experienced steady growth, which led to an increase in the number of both breweries and consumers. One of the first and most important craft beer clusters in the country is in Mar del Plata, a popular tourist destination on the coast in east-central Argentina. The sustained popularity of craft beer in this city provides an interesting case study to analyze thoroughly the evolution of a craft beer cluster in a developing country. This article aims to analyze producers' perceptions as well as consumers' preferences toward craft beer, in order to understand the craft beer drinkers' decisions and choices. We interviewed five craft brewers and conducted two focus groups with local craft beer consumers. The results show that neolocalism is highly valued in the industry by both producers and consumers. We identify two groups of craft beer consumers: beginners or social consumers and sophisticated or craft beer lovers. The attributes most appreciated by consumers are quality, flavor, and bitterness.

Arctic narratives: brewing a brand with neolocalism

“…A common undertone for many of these contributions is that while they present the use of neolocalism in craft beer branding and marketing as a planned and common trait (e.g., Schnell and Reese 2014), it is inherently assumed to be candid and not overtly sales-oriented (e.g., Maguire et al 2017). A quote from an article examining the craft beer market in Argentina-"craft beer movement around the world has been making genuine connections with people and local idiosyncrasies" (Belmartino and Liseras 2020)-exemplifies this attitude. As a result, neolocal is seen something that is "authentic, familiar and connected to place" (Eberts 2014, p. 198) instead of being fabricated, intrusive, and universal like its binary opposite, globalization (Schnell 2013).…”

The Evolution of the Craft Beer Industry in the Global South: The Experience of South Africa

“…The internationally changing beer-scape is not, however, merely a phenomenon observed in countries of the Global North. For example, Belmartino and Liseras (2020) document the growth of a thriving craft beer market in Argentina. The booming production and activities of craft brewers in Brazil (de Oliviera Dias & Falconi, 2018) and the emergence of a craft beer industry in India have also been examined (Patwardhan, Dabral & Mallya, 2019).…”