Characterization of the Production Chain of the Craft Beer Produced in Western Region of Santa Catarina and Southwest of Paraná - Brazil

Beer is an age-old alcoholic drink obtained as a product of the fermentation of the wort of malted grain (barley), with the addition or not of other cereals or sources of sugars, called adjuncts, and the addition of hops, using yeast for the fermentation process. The production of special beers in microbreweries has increased significantly in recent years, making it an important business opportunity. In this context, the objective of this study was to characterize the production chain of craft beers produced in the western regions of the state of Santa Catarina and the southwest of the state of Paraná. In addition, this work sought to present the number of beer producers, grouping them by produced volume and determining the types and characteristics of the beers, the origin and the volumes of the raw material or adjuncts used in the processes and the business model. To this end, a survey instrument was developed and applied to 14 microbreweries installed in these two regions. The obtained results revealed that the production of these units vary by up to 300,000 liters of beer per month. They rely on a few partners, most exist for more than 5 years, and the owners are mostly young people of up to 44 years of age. The beer types produced are mostly Pilsen, IPA and Weiss, which rely for up to 90% on imported raw materials, making all the difference in specialty beers. As such, it can be concluded that this production chain seems to be simple, but long, starting with the purchases of raw materials and suppliers, followed by the entire production process, to then be distributed and sold to the final consumers.