Food, place, territorialization. From territory appreciation to successful businesses

During the last decades, the awareness of the bond between food and its territory of origin has grown, and food perceived to be local and traditional increased in its attractiveness. Aware of this scenario, the purpose of this dissertation is to explore in depth the phenomenon of place-based food: firstly, it aims for a better understanding of the concept of place-based food; secondly, the purpose is to study the territorial orientation of food companies, trying to understand how local and global food companies could interpret and employ in their strategy the link with territory. This dissertation is composed of three essays, each with specific purposes. In Essay 1, we intend to improve the comprehension of place-based food concept, answering to the following central questions: What are the main characteristics of place-based foods? What reasons drive people to increase their attention to territoriality? What meanings do consumers attach to territorial food consumption? To pursue this threefold objective, we review the extant multidisciplinary literature related to food and place. After this in-depth analysis of place-based food concept, in Essay 2 and 3 we investigate the territorial facet of food companies, thus exploring the relationship between food and place in an organizational point of view. Specifically, in Essay 2 we focus on local companies in order to verify the possibility to shift from the concept of terroir products to the concept of terroir organization. In particular, the research questions are as follows: How a local food company which serves typical and traditional products manages its linkage with the territory? What are the implications of the fact that the company itself shows a strong link with the territory of origin of the food products offered? To what extent does the connection among firm, food and territory influence the firm’s strategy? In contrast to Essay 2, in Essay 3 the purpose is to investigate how global companies have progressively changed their offer, paying increasing attention to the territorial dimension. What are the main factors that determine the new face of transnational companies? To what extent does the link between food and place influence their chosen strategies? To explore these issues, both in Essay 2 and 3 we examine a case study based on qualitative inductive techniques. Specifically, in Essay 2 we analyze the case of MeC Puddu’s, a Sardinian restaurant deeply embedded in its territory of origin, which offers Sardinian traditional dishes in an unusual fast-food way. In opposition, in Essay 3 we consider the case of McDonald’s that, over the past four years, has undertaken on the Italian market a process of developing Italian products by launching a new line of products based on Italian recipes and produced with certified Italian ingredients. These two cases illustrate two different ways to use territorial links in the firm strategy. Furthermore, they underline two reverse implications of the territorial orientation related to the mix between local and global elements. In this reference, MeC Puddu’s desire to become a global promoter of traditional products of its land can be considered as the opposite of the McDonald’s attempt to approach the Italian market via the McItaly line. Just as McDonald’s tries to replicate its corporate philosophy and symbols, while simultaneously catering for Italian preferences for food produced locally and nationally, MeC Puddu’s aims to reverse this process. The Sardinian fast-food aims to transmit and communicate the cultural and traditional aspect of its products and its place of provenance overcoming the regional boundaries. The implications of this dissertation are both theoretical and practical. On a theoretical level, it contributes to a better understanding of the concept of place-based food, showing at the same time the need for further research to better understand the place-based food consumer. Additionally, the current work enlarges the study of the relationship between food and territory, by considering it in an organizational point of view, and contributes to the development of the glocalization literature, by underlining a new element to be considered in the balance between global and local forces. On a practical level, the dissertation offers valid support to marketing strategies to be implemented in the food sector, also emphasizing the potentiality of the adoption of a territorial orientation in firms’ strategies.