CHEFS Research Group Online Research Talk – Craft Beer, Consumption and Authenticity

The CHEFS (Culture, Health, Environment, Food and Society) research group at Sheffield Hallam University is delighted to host a series of online research talks. Next up:

CRAFT BEER, CONSUMPTION AND AUTHENTICITY

Date & Time: Thursday 10 February 2022, 1500 – 1630 (GMT), on Zoom
Presenters: Nadine Waehning (University of York Management School); Andrey Sgorla (University of Siena)

Join Zoom Meeting  |  Meeting ID: 971 0918 6251  |  Passcode: CHEFStalks

 This session will feature two talks:

Paper 1: A foraging examination of pub and beer choice behaviour
Presenter: Nadine Waehning (University of York Management School)
Abstract:
This presentation is a preview of a paper which is currently work in progress. The authors are Victoria Wells, Nadine Waehning, Kathryn E. Arnold and Ignazio Cabras.
Purpose The paper examines the consumer choice of drinks and pubs and as well how these two choices are interrelated. Due to the intertwined nature of choice behaviours, we use Foraging Theory (Winterhalder and Smith, 1981) to examine pub visiting, due to its ability to handle both between patch (pub) choices and within patch choices (brand/product), and overall aspects of consumption from search and identification, through procurement, digestion, post-purchase behaviours simultaneously, as well as incorporating temporal and social aspects.
Design/methodology/approach The study follows a mixed methods approach containing three key types of data collection: a survey, journaling data through an app and a final in-depth interview.
Findings Initial findings highlight the currency (or choice criteria), an important component of foraging models, which consumers use to choose both pubs and, within them, drinks/beers.
Originality This is the first work to examine pub and drinking behaviour using the lens of foraging theory and in particular the ecology model of consumer behaviour (Wells, 2012). It is also the first to examine the intertwined nature of these consumer behaviours.

Paper 2: Narratives of craft and authenticity in the formation of the Brazilian craft beer market 
Presenter: Andrey Sgorla (University of Siena)
Abstract:
The growth of the craft beer market involves a number of attractions for would-be producers and consumers, including a high degree of autonomy, passion, and work as a hobby in small businesses, where brewers use “intuitive knowledge”, as well as time flexibility to make craft beers. As handcrafted products, craft beers have been associated with identity markers and notions of “authenticity”, with a range of economic and cultural attributes. The talk draws from multi-method PhD research on Brazilian craft beer, which included interviews, visits to breweries, participation in festivals and netnography. In the talk, I explore how Brazilian microbrewery owners’ narratives about craft and authenticity are used as market devices to legitimise their products, gaining recognition within the market and building consumer relations in the context of the new spirit of capitalism. Storytelling strategies not only “enrich” the product; they also encourage individuals to locate pleasure through work, and perceive value in terms of identity and lifestyle rather than monetary terms.

To attend the session, please use the joining link above.  If you would like to receive a calendar invite, please email Jen (j.smith1@shu.ac.uk).

Please feel free to share widely: local and global students, staff, practitioners and public all welcome.  For more information about past and upcoming talks, please check out the CHEFS online research talks blog page.