Flavor, history and local economy: perceptions of consumers in Rio Grande do Sul about Colonial Cheese

Abstract

Artisanal cheeses can be considered heritage of the communities that produce them, as they express the evolution of a knowledge shared by the community over time. The consumption of these cheeses involves the appreciation of tangible attributes, such as flavor, and intangible characteristics such as typicality, environmental, social and economic sustainability. Communities of descendants of immigrants, especially Italians and Germans, have produced colonial cheese from Rio Grande do Sul since the mid-19th century. The volume of annual production is around 12.5 thousand tons, most of which is processed by hand. The objective of this work is to analyze the perceptions of consumers in Rio Grande do Sul regarding this product, discussing activated consumption values ​​and the attributes associated with it. The data collection was done through a structured questionnaire; the methodology followed the survey model, in which 456 consumers participated. Our results demonstrate that Colonial Cheese has a positive reputation with consumers, presenting characteristics such as taste, cost-benefit ratio and following hygiene standards that meet the emotional and functional needs of consumption. But it is also perceived as a product that has a cultural identity, being an expression of historical know-how, produced in a way that respects the environment and has relevance to the economy of the places where it is produced, which shows that consumers perceive the heritage content of the Colonial Cheese of Rio Grande do Sul.