Dimensões estratégicas das microcervejarias: estudo de caso no Rio Grande do Sul

Abstract

During the last years the Brazilian brewing sector has grown significantly and underwent some changes. These changes were accompanied by the emergence of new consumption habits and the appearance of differentiated products, exalting superior characteristics that allowed the development of a new segment of the market, the one of the special beers. Thus, a great number of microbreweries specialized in producing beers with a high degree of differentiation have settled in the country in recent years. The entry of new companies in this segment of the market promotes an increase in competition and makes it essential for managers to formulate a scope of strategies focused on competence to ensure the survival and competitiveness of their businesses. Rio Grande do Sul is one of the states with the largest number of these enterprises, around 25%. In this context, the present work aimed to access and evaluate the strategic preferences of managers of microbreweries in Rio Grande do Sul. For this purpose, the strategic model outlined by Keblan and Nickerson (2012) will be used. Set the competitive performance of the US specialty beer industry. Eight microbreweries were evaluated in the Anchieta neighborhood, in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, through an open semi-structured questionnaire. A content analysis was performed with the information collected using Maxqda® software. Six strategic dimensions were identified, focusing on quality, production process management, product portfolio, logistics chain, marketing and sales. As a key result, microbreweries find it paramount in their business to expand the range of beer styles to reach the most critical customers and meet market demands. Also, it was observed as a conclusion of this study that the strategies determined in this study are mutually dependent and complementary.