Milk: A territorial development instrument of small producers to access new markets

Milk is normally considered a generic product. However, it is also the raw material of a large amount of dairy products such as cheese, yoghurt, blancmange, etc. Many of these products are now recognized by consumers according to their geographic origin, which explains why milk behaves as a specific product, related to its territorial origin. In this paper, we want to present this relevant between milk and territory and show how this product may become an instrument for regional development. Four cases of dairy byproducts will be presented, which illustrate the different aspects of this relation: the rural cheese factories of Ecuador, those of Cajamarca (Peru), the Turrialba gastronomic cheese route of Costa Rica and the Cotija cheese (Mexico), as an example of a collective brand that seeks a denomination of origin. Following the lessons of these cases, a strategy will be defined to add value to milk in the local, territorial and regional development. The central idea is that milk can thus be transformed from a resource to a territorial asset in order to "activate" a given territory through its transformation into quality products thanks to the traditional know-how of local organized stakeholders. (Résumé d'auteur