Value creation in agri-food products in emerging economies: Evidences from Angola

Abstract

Local products are underappreciated by Angolan consumers. However, there are some pioneer cases of local agri-food products that are valuing their producers. In as far as studies related to the creation of local value in Angola go; there is still a scarcity of literature. In this sense, the objective of this research is to shed light on what is being done in the field of value creation in local agri-food products. This study is anchored on extensive field research and comparative case studies of three Angolan agri-food products. In-depth interviews to producers and retailers and field and product analysis were used to compare the strategies of value creation. This article provides an operationalization of a model to assess value creation strategies on local agri-food products in emerging economies. We also provide empirical evidence from Angola, a country lacking scholar research. Firms show some efforts to create value in the "information" dimension, materialized through careful packaging and labeling, conveying of a set of informative elements that strengthen local product benefits. The progress in the remaining four value creation sources is yet unclear. The 'product' benefits from more advanced production systems and customer relationships revealed a strong weakness due to the nonexistence of consistent work with the distribution channels. Keywords: Angola, agri-food; Value creation, Local products; Sources of value; Emerging economies; Africa. JEL: M31; M37; Q13; O55