Comments on: Food I: good food http://cultureby.com/2005/01/food_i_good_foo.html This Blog Sits At the Intersection of Anthropology and Economics Thu, 17 May 2012 21:10:32 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Gabriel Rossman http://cultureby.com/2005/01/food_i_good_foo.html/comment-page-1#comment-6802 Gabriel Rossman Tue, 18 Jan 2005 21:02:45 +0000 http://localhost/wp_culture/?p=1034#comment-6802 Micro-breweries are actually the canonical case for niche partitioning theory. See especially the work of Glenn Carroll's "Specialist Strategy" in the California Management Review. The basic argument is that after prohibition, economies of scale led to oligopoly which by the late 70s in turn led to an opening for boutique brews for those people who like things other than weak lagers. The theory is generalized to hold that when an industry is dominated by a few oligopolists ("generalists") this provides an opening for small boutique producers ("specialists"). Of course sometimes the oligopolists try to capture these boutique products as well, but that's a whole other story. Micro-breweries are actually the canonical case for niche partitioning theory. See especially the work of Glenn Carroll’s “Specialist Strategy” in the California Management Review. The basic argument is that after prohibition, economies of scale led to oligopoly which by the late 70s in turn led to an opening for boutique brews for those people who like things other than weak lagers. The theory is generalized to hold that when an industry is dominated by a few oligopolists (“generalists”) this provides an opening for small boutique producers (“specialists”). Of course sometimes the oligopolists try to capture these boutique products as well, but that’s a whole other story.

]]> By: Brian Hawkins http://cultureby.com/2005/01/food_i_good_foo.html/comment-page-1#comment-6801 Brian Hawkins Tue, 18 Jan 2005 16:28:13 +0000 http://localhost/wp_culture/?p=1034#comment-6801 It is lovely to be living here just as we reach the third stage of galactic civilization. :) I don't have statistics at hand, but I believe the production and sale of craft-brewed beer, as well as the hobby of homebrewing, have also exploded over the same time period. According the the guy that runs my local hombrewing shop, they're getting an average of one new customer every day, which is pretty astounding for any sort of "hobby shop". It is lovely to be living here just as we reach the third stage of galactic civilization. :)

I don’t have statistics at hand, but I believe the production and sale of craft-brewed beer, as well as the hobby of homebrewing, have also exploded over the same time period. According the the guy that runs my local hombrewing shop, they’re getting an average of one new customer every day, which is pretty astounding for any sort of “hobby shop”.

]]> By: Nicholas http://cultureby.com/2005/01/food_i_good_foo.html/comment-page-1#comment-6800 Nicholas Tue, 18 Jan 2005 15:57:43 +0000 http://localhost/wp_culture/?p=1034#comment-6800 A similar growth rate appears in the wine business, as more small wineries are able to find a profitable niche to thrive in (although it's a luxury good, so the market isn't as stable as it is for staple goods). The Niagara Peninsula seems to be adding a new winery every month lately, and Prince Edward County has gone from two to eight wineries just in the last year or so. You won't earn a fortune running a winery or a vineyard, but there's enough demand for non-mass market wine that it's not just a modern day "folly" for the wealthy. A similar growth rate appears in the wine business, as more small wineries are able to find a profitable niche to thrive in (although it’s a luxury good, so the market isn’t as stable as it is for staple goods). The Niagara Peninsula seems to be adding a new winery every month lately, and Prince Edward County has gone from two to eight wineries just in the last year or so.

You won’t earn a fortune running a winery or a vineyard, but there’s enough demand for non-mass market wine that it’s not just a modern day “folly” for the wealthy.

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