Strategies of marketing of a traditional vegetable product: The red onion in Tropea

The aim of this paper is to present a number of research results and elements, as matter for thought, about valorization strategies for a typical regional vegetable: the red onion. The red onion in Tropea is a traditional product with a number of distinctive characteristics, although its value is relatively small, the economic implications for the territory are not marginal. The study area is Calabria, in the South of Italy, chosen for its predominant spread of the crops under examination and for the strategic role which the red onion plays in the preservation of regional and local development. Currently, the marketing of this product has not been sufficiently studied to maximize profit. The research is the result of studies done on the farms where the red onion is grown and through interviews and discussions with onion distributors. The following conclusions can be drawn from the study: the performance of the initiatives analysed would suggest a high importance of the territory. Nevertheless, the territory comes out as a strategic "production factor", as a result of the advantages gained by the local farms through the long process of knowledge and skill accumulation and, finally, the promotion of the product under a PGI may be particularly important because guarantees both consumer and producers