Small and Medium Enterprises in Mexico and the Craft Beer Sector in Baja California: Dynamic Capabilities, Culture, and Innovation

This article studies how Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) operating in emerging economies implement adaptative strategies to respond to constant changes in demand and global uncertainties, such as those stemming from the current SARS-COV2 pandemic. In this study the knowledge management capabilities used by SMEs in the craft beer sector in a region of northern Mexico are the focus of analysis. The objective is to present the competitive capabilities that craft beer sector has demonstrated in Baja California region and how small companies compete with the national industrial brewery and survive. Sources are data from a sample of companies and interviews with brewery owners, with which the analysis approaches, also, the Baja California business environment. The article highlights the routes of creativity, innovation, and symbolic capital of the companies in the region, and uses ideas from dynamic capabilities and knowledge management theoretical frameworks, to understand the craft brewery milieu. The conclusions in this article include the confirmation about the usefulness of these analytical frameworks based in the capabilities approach and the territorial knowledge. Also, the description of the existence of a complex Baja Californian milieu, where a multimodal scheme of craft beer characterized by different places of distribution and types of beer container, food-districts, at Mexicali, Tijuana, and Ensenada and a second generation of entrepreneur groups leading local business, is identified.

Evaluation of two brazilian native yeast strains (Pichia kudriavzevii) in craft beer

Beer production is an ancient biotechnological process and since yeast as discovered to be responsible for the transformation of barley wort into beer, studies have been carried out with the aim of understanding the behavior of these microorganisms. This work aimed to study the application of two strains of yeasts of the species Pichia kudriavzevii, isolated in the Brazilian Midwest for the production of craft beer and to analyze the occurrence of bioaromatization, with the production of volatile organic compounds (VOC) and to evaluate the sensory perception of the results with untrained end consumers through a quick sensory methodology called Check All That Apply (CATA). For this purpose, three batches of beer were produced and inoculated with commercial yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the control) and two strains of the same species, called Pichia kudriavzevii BB1 and Pichia kudriavzevii BB2. A total of 28 volatile organic compounds that differentiated the control of the Pichia BB1/BB2 group were detected, being 20 esters, 2 alcohols, 5 carboxylic acids and 1 hydrocarbon. There was no difference among the Pichia kudriavzevii BB1 and BB2 samples (p>0.05) in the sensory analysis using the CATA methodology. It was possible to distinguish two clusters between the tasters according to the habit of consuming craft beer, and those who consumed frequently, assigned a higher score in the hedonic test. It was concluded that Pichia kudriavzevii BB1 and BB2 influenced the beer bioaromatization, improving the acceptance test score with the tasters.

Consumer Behavior and Its Impact on Poverty Reduction

This chapter aims to present the motivational factors that determine the behavior of beer consumers. The research considered the situation before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results showed that men consume and spend more on beer than women, including by age group; however, women consume more expensive types of beer, reducing this inequality relatively. It was also found that women are more likely to be influenced by their relatives, friends, and social occasions. As for preference, women showed more interest in light beers than men, especially craft beer. It has also been found that differences in preferences between men and women are narrowing as opportunities to try beer increase. In this sense, younger age groups tend to show fewer differences. It was also observed that, during the period of social isolation, consumption habits were maintained, but purchases took place through a delivery system, which affected the performance of bars and restaurants.

Entrepreneurial Orientation and Family Influence Factors for Sustainable Small Business

This chapter addresses the issue of sustainability in small family firms, considering the relation between entrepreneurial orientation and family influence factors. The literature describes positive links between small firms and sustainability outlining their power in spreading good practices. Furthermore, the role of family is crucial to strengthen such intrinsic links. The aim of this study is to first demonstrate the influence that family factors play on entrepreneurial orientation and, second, highlight how factors and orientations shape small family firms' sustainable approach. The study employs a case-based method, illustrating a peculiar case: the leading Italian small family-owned craft beer producer Baladin. It provides fertile ground for the development of functioning as a learning process and being replicable in smaller firms. It also highlights the relevance of family culture even when an entrepreneur engages in a countertrend against his usual family path, by undermining the traditional family business but maintaining a local commitment to sustainable outcomes.