Innovation in special beers brewery in Belo Horizonte’s region

Abstract

This article aims to identify the innovation in special beers brewery in Belo Horizonte's region. In order to do that, concepts as special beers, innovation, entrepreneurship and knowledge sharing have been used. The literature review focused on the evolution of the brewery industry, the innovation process and the different typology used by the traditional authors who are experts on the subject. Authors as Schumpeter and Tidd, Bessant & Pavitt (2008) have helped with the definition of innovation that was used in this paper. The data was gathered through interviews with special beers manufacturers, observation in sectorial panels, round tables in events and documental research. The researched individuals were the ones involved with special beer as: micro-brewers, home-brewers and consultants. It is concluded that the innovation has been important for those who work with this kind of beer either due to the product differentiation, the need to follow the market demands or due to the incipient participation in social networks in order to share the knowledge. The results of the research show that innovation has been applied in the handmade brewery sector especially in the incremental ones.