Artisanal food quality: Parallels between artisan cheese and Brazilian craft beers

In recent years, the boom of craft beer in Brazil has gained prominence and introduced new elements to the perspective of the artisanal food concept by introducing a product manufactured in urban areas without tradition. This type of production is commonly associated with foods processed by family agriculture. In the country, artisanal cheeses are the ones that have made the most progress in specific regulations. However, there is no consensus on the definition of artisanal foods in the country. Furthermore, the regulatory frameworks aimed at these products are scarce. From this situation, the article aims to discuss the concept of artisanal quality in food by drawing parallels between the case of Brazilian craft beer and artisanal cheese. The article's methodology was qualitative, with a systematic review on the subject to support empirical data on craft beer and a review of the national legislation on the subject. The comparison between the cases indicates that artisanal quality is a set of socially determined elements. However, Brazilian legislation focuses on physical aspects concerning product hygiene. It is understood that, similar to the definition of agri-food products processed by family agriculture, the artisanal quality of beer is related to the so-called quartet of product, people, place, and processes. This means that the “what, who, where, and how” of beer are fundamental elements in its definition and quality. Craft breweries integrate short circuits and different ways of producing compared with mass-produced beer. Additionally, the production scale remains an important point of discussion, which, although lacking consensus, carries significant weight in the definition of artisanal, reinforcing the dichotomy between artisanal and industrial goods.