Reestructuring processes, quality and social relationships: transformation in grapes producers and agroindustry link in Mendoza, Argentina

Abstract

In the context of a globalized world, agriculture has undergone numerous restructurings processes, like the incorporation of agricultural production to the dynamics of industrial´s capital. In this context, agroindustries redefine their productive logic and propose new configurations, including the intensification of the vertical link with primary production. Often this relation is mediated by the notion of quality. The agroindustrial wine´s complex of the area of Maipú and Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza, has reflected these processes. Thus it is necessary to study the forms of social relationship between wine producers and wineries, specifically of the "quality" sector. In order to achieve this objective, we applied a qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews with agents involved in agroindustry. We will try to reflect the specific implications of these forms of connections to primary production, noting the role of "quality" in this social relationship.