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Food festivals may serve as a stage for promoting products by linking them to regional identity, tradition, and sustainability. However, few studies have been conducted on the combination of GIs and festivals. The marginal international literature concerns how PGI in festivals communicate immaterial heritage (Castelló, Lövgren and Svensson, 2023), promotes consumption (Arfini et. al 2019), contributes to economic and social sustainability (FAO; UNiFI (2021) is established to be a meeting place for professionals (Tregear, Török and Gorton, 2016), and develop a seasonal culture of food festivals to prolong the tourist season (Borg and Gratzer, 2013). Against this background, based on fieldwork from four festivals in 2023, this paper describes and analyses the role of festivals for apple-based PGI products in Norway.
Apple-based PGI products, such as Hardanger cider and Telemark apples, are rooted in Norway's food cultural history. However, the festivals create a contemporary narrative around these products, emphasizing tradition and quality. This narrative address local consumers but also reach out to a wider audience. By providing opportunities for direct interaction between producers and consumers, the festivals enhance product visibility, potentially contributing to increased sales. The marketing innovation further lies in the use of place-based branding. The festivals enable for people to experience and engage with the geographical uniqueness of the PGI regions. Further, the festivals create buzz around the apple products, reinforcing their distinctiveness and adding cultural value that goes beyond their functional use. Additionally, the festivals serve as educational platforms, where consumers can learn about the production process and the historical significance of apple-growing in the regions. Through these activities, festivals potentially strengthen the bond between producers and consumers. From a marketing perspective, the festivals may also facilitate market alliances. Producers collaborate with local tourism industries, government bodies, and international participants, creating synergies that may benefit local economies.
In conclusion, festivals for apple-based PGI products in Norway is an example of place-based marketing innovations. Through a combination of education, direct consumer interaction, and strategic alliances, these events potentially improve market presence of PGI products, making them a driver of both economic and cultural sustainability.
Literature
Arfini, Cozzi, Mancini, Ferrer-Perez, & Gil (2019) Are Geographical Indication Products Fostering Public Goods? Some Evidence from Europe. Sustainability, 11(1), 272.
Borg and Gratzer (2013) Collective Brand Strategy, Entrepreneurship, and Regional Growth: The Role of a Protected Designation of Origin. Journal of World Economic Research, Vol. 2, No. 3, pp. 26-38.
Castelló, Lövgren & Svensson (2023). The narratives of geographical indications as commons: a study on Catalan and Swedish cases. Food, Culture, & Society, 26(5), 1014–1031.
FAO; UNiFI (2021) Evaluating Geographical Indications; Guide to Tailor Evaluations for the Development and Improvement of Geographical, Indications; Belletti, G., Marescotti, A., Vandecandelaere, E., Teyssier, C., Eds.; ; FAO: Rome, Italy; University of Florence: Florence.
Tregear, Török, Áron, & Gorton (2016). Geographical indications and upgrading of small-scale producers in global agro-food chains: A case study of the Makó Onion Protected Designation of Origin. Environment and Planning. 48(2), 433–451.
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