Modern gethållning och getostproduktion

• This article discusses the re-emergence and modernisation of traditional goat cheese production in Sweden, in particular in the northern county of Jämtland. The data have been gathered through fieldwork and interviews with goat farmers, authorities and others involved in the production of goat cheese. As early as the 1970s, a number of initiatives were taken to formalise the productive activities of this sector and to improve product quality. The most important project was the launch of the cooperative Jämtspira at the beginning of the 1980s. In contrast to other Swedish cooperatives, this organisation involved its members in developing a common trademark and a standardised product range, undertaking joint marketing efforts, and finding creative solutions to infrastructure problems. Jämtland was strengthened and modernised, largely owing to the active part played by regional authorities in this process. The national artisan centre Eldrimner, which became a hub for small-scale food production, is another important institution that has strengthened local knowledge and taught cheesemaking skills to new goat farmers from all over Sweden. Although many obstacles have been removed and the sector has found successful solutions to strategic issues relating to product development and marketing, there are still significant structural shortcomings that could reduce profitability and endanger the future development of the sector. 

Subject headings

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Ekonomi och näringsliv -- Ekonomisk historia (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Economics and Business -- Economic History (hsv//eng)

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