Social-based product innovation and governance in the milk sector: The case of carciocacio and innonatura

The chapter reports and discusses a case study on an economic and scientific partnership which has developed a successful innovation, a cheese produced with vegetable (artichoke) rennet, using measure 124 of Campania region's Rural Development Plan, in a sector which is currently in crisis. The case study shows how the initiative's key to success is not only in product innovation but, more importantly, in the innovation of governance in the production chain and in the composition of the partnership. The latter includes not only the actors traditionally involved in processes of innovation in the agricultural sector (producers/adopters of innovation) but, also, new figures capable of producing organisational models to increase competitiveness in this struggling sector.