Functional social organization to obtain the Collective Brand Queso Cotija Region of Origin

Abstract

Objective: Identify the functional elements that affect the asset activation processes to obtain the Collective Brand Queso Cotija Region of Origin, through collective social action as a basis for territorial development in the Sierra de Jalisco and Michoacán.

Methodological design: A qualitative research was conducted, based on the tradition of rural sociology, in which the analysis categories of the Localized Agri-Food Systems approach were used. For this, semi-structured interviews were applied to various social actors where the technical, organizational, economic and political aspects of influencing the obtaining of quality seals were investigated, aimed at the protection and differentiation of emblematic foods.

Results: After an attempt to obtain the Denomination of Origin, given the particularities of the Localized Agrifood System that surrounds the production of Cotija cheese, it was decided to obtain a Collective Brand whose prerequisites better adjusted to the characteristics of this production system. Obtaining the seal was an important achievement in terms of the horizon that this indication generated for the producers and for the territory. However, this is only the beginning of a process of constant valorization that must be redefined over time.

Limitations: This is an exploratory research that only addresses the internal dimension of the Cotija cheese production system. A deeper analysis should expand the study of the social networks involved in the valorization processes, including external actors of the territory.

Conclusions: Mexico's agri-food heritage is a strategic resource that must be protected for cultural, economic, food safety and health reasons. This must be assumed as a responsibility of the State in co-responsibility with the academy, producers and consumers. Obtaining a collective brand is only one step in an unfinished valorization process that must be maintained through collective action and market stimulation