INNOVATION STRATEGIES IN SPECIAL BREWERS IN THE METROPOLITAN REGION OF BELO HORIZONTE (MG)

Abstract

This article deals with innovations existing in special breweries in the metropolitan region of Belo Horizonte. With the advent of the production of special beers, we sought to understand the innovations generated by the sector and also what innovation strategies are used. To achieve the proposed objective, the study used qualitative-descriptive research with literature review, using a semi-structured script for interviews during visits to breweries and with content analysis for systematizing the data. After analyzing the data, it was noticed that incremental and radical innovations occur in breweries, which were classified into four types (product, process, position and paradigm). In addition, the evidence showed that in order to increase market share, specialty breweries make use of step-by-step and customer-oriented innovation strategies, but there is the use of the specialized innovation strategy in process only by those market-leading breweries that they have greater reach to financial resources, skilled labor and greater productive capacity.