Abstract

Goat cheese is a typical handmade product from the rural villages of the Chilean Norte Chico (Small North), especially from the Region of Coquimbo. Although the sanitary aspects of the cheese making process have been widely questioned, in the last years the cheese micro-factories have started to offer products of great quality and with greater variety. The objective of this article is to discuss the current state and future projections regarding entrepreneurship and innovation for artisanal goat cheese produced in the Region of Coquimbo, Chile. Firstly, the importance of capriculture at the Latin American level and specifically in the Region of Coquimbo is highlighted. Then we mention the problems that have been experienced by cheese micro-factories of the Region of Coquimbo and how the goat cheese has been repositioned in the market over time, becoming a product considered gourmet by some consumers. Finally, entrepreneurship and innovation initiatives for this typical and traditional product of the rural villages of Norte Chico are discussed in a general way.