Protected indications of origin as differentiation cue of food products: the Spanish dry-cured ham case

The "country/region of origin" is a traditionally strategy used by food companies in order to differentiate their production from each other. In Spain, there are more than 140 EU recognised- Designations of Origin comprising several categories of food and drinks. From these, there are only six quality labels on Spanish dry-cured ham. In spite of this lower number of Designations, they suppose almost the 15% of the global economic value. From both a quantitative and a qualitative perspective -based on a SWOT analysis, this paper traits to analyse the role of origin as a marketing differentiation tool. In addition, interesting recommendations are offered in order to enhance the consumer's knowledge of Designations' main characteristics.