The roles of geographical indications in the internationalisation process of agro-food products

ABSTRACT The purpose of this paper is to analyse the roles Geographical Indications (PDO and PGI) can play in the internationalisation process of some small-medium scale agri – food products from Tuscany (Italy). The analysis of the selected case studies highlighted among the driving motivations of firms for the use of PDO/PGIs on international markets both defensive roles (in particular for the function of defending from abuses in using geographical name), and offending roles against competitors (as in the case of product differentiation or exclusive right of benefiting from the reputation of origin). Besides, there is also a strictly commercial role in terms of giving an answer to the explicit request of certifications from customers. PDOs and PGIs can represent an internationalisation tool, although their effectiveness depends on several factors that rely on the characteristics of the product, of the production system (rate of fragmentation, organisation, role of collective organisations…) and of the firms in particular, as well as on the characteristics of the destination market.