Meat Value Chain Contribution to Territory Sustainability—The Case of Autochthonous Bovine Jarmelista’s Breed

Abstract

In regional contexts and within specific sustainable businesses based on endogenous resources, analysing their value chain is crucial to support the sustainability characteristics and comply with the new consumer’s demand. Short supply value chains are also typical for these types of businesses and bring advantages regarding competitive and sustainability claims. Jarmelista Bovine Breed Meat’s case study complies with the context and characteristics of a short value chain that is important to define and analyse to support and offer a clear sustainability claim and continue to promote territorial values, namely in the mountain and inland regions. This research, based on case study methodology, aimed to define the Jarmelista meat supply value chain considering perceptions of producers and the other actors of the Jarmelista meat value chain, and as a basis for business improvement in this specific mountain and inland territory, adding value to the meat and contributing to the sustainable values of the meat production to deliver a product that preserves its cultural and sustainable heritage. Based on the results obtained from the interview and surveys conducted, a simple and feasible business orientation for the leading players is suggested, as this points out the focus attributes and relevant issues to be considered along the value chain that, in an integrated approach, can offer to the consumer market a sustainable meat product and contribute to the preservation of the territory sustainability.