Objective:

Identify social and technological innovations that allow Mexican artisan cheese makers to gain market, without losing the qualities of genuineness and craftsmanship in their products.

Methodology:

The production system of 32 genuine Mexican cheeses that meet the four craft characteristics mentioned in the literature was analyzed. The cheeses were grouped in relation to the variables: type of supply, type of livestock from which the raw material comes from and organizational integration, through an analysis of hierarchical type conglomerates. Then, the variables that distinguish each group were identified in terms of their geographical, microbiological, physicochemical, commercial and legal characteristics through a discriminating canonical analysis.

Results:

According to the type of supply, livestock where the raw material and organizational integration comes from, three groups of cheeses were identified. The variables that distinguish them were the market reach, the type of pasta, the pH and the macro region. The results reflect that organizational integration and physicochemical characteristics such as lower humidity and pH facilitate marketing to more distant, regional and international markets.

Limitations:

The main limitation of this study is that, probably, this analysis does not include many Mexican cheeses that are known only locally but meet the characteristics of craftsmanship and genuineness.

Conclusions:

There are technological innovations, such as longer maturation with physical and biotechnological means, which could help improve product stability. This would increase sanitary quality and allow these cheeses to be transported to more distant markets; while for the field of social innovation, the organization of the processors and marketers of the different cheeses would be essential for the emergence of distinctive signs and for the creation of direct sales spaces.

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