‘It’s a love interest’ – Enthusiasts and regional industry cultures of practice

Non-firm actors have emerged in economic geography as significant in shaping regional industrial cultures and new industry pathways, though how knowledge and practice is shared with firm actors remains unclear. The case of enthusiasts or hobbyists is especially interesting when there are industry counterparts given the blurred lines between work and hobby. There has been limited discussion of such interactions, and how they might contribute to regional development or an industrial culture of problem solving. This paper explores this gap through a case study of beekeepers in Western Australia. It analyses the interview results from hobbyist and commercial operators to understand how practice is shared, the construction of group meaning and identity and how place-based problem solving occurs through a regional culture of exchange and mutual benefit. The findings point to the importance of informal non-firm actors in the development of regional industry culture of practice and entrepreneurship, and that supporting collaborations between enthusiasts and local business may produce broad industry and societal benefits.