Reproducing artisanal knowledge in the New Economy: a case study of English farmhouse cheese making, 1850-2000

This paper traces the changing dynamics of artisanal knowledge production from the pre-industrial era to the inception of the digital economy. It integrates resource-based and institutional concepts within a broadly Penrosian framework. Results are presented in two overlapping phases. The first is a broad historical analysis, periodised on the basis of changes in knowledge production and associated isolating mechanisms. The second draws on a multiple case study to provide a more fine-grained account of the growth of artisanal knowledge in two firms, from formation in the mid-1950s to the present day. The final section comprises a discussion and series of concluding remarks