The dynamics and patterns of a cultural and creative industry in Brazil from an international business perspective: the wine industry as a creative industry

Working within the international business perspective, the authors propose that Brazilian wine industry agglomeration economies have guaranteed advantages that not only sustain firms’ competitiveness in the domestic market, but also stimulate internationalisation and support their growth in the international market. In this chapter they address the cultural background of the wine industry in Vale dos Vinhedos (Brazil) and establish how external entrepreneurial network capabilities (EENC) and internationalisation shape the dynamics of the region’s wine industry. The main findings point to a process of transition from a commodity-oriented wine industry to a cultural and creative industry (CCI), which is the result of firms making a substantial commitment of entrepreneurial capability to exploit an international network that the authors call an EENC, particularly by adopting an upgrading strategy of international insertion. These firms have entered into strategic alliances to increase their creative expertise and build their system of upstream and downstream international integration.