Guatchup: O Caso de uma Inovação de Produto por uma Associação de Pequenas Empresas. Guatchup: The Case of a Product Innovation by a Small Business Association

Competitiveness, for many companies, and even for countries, depends on maintaining a constant launch of new products. The objective of this paper is to present a case of product innovation, resulting from the search of an association of guava producers for applications and new uses of the fruit. By means of its own model, the association, given the economic and institutional conjuncture portrayed in this work, produced the first of six new products derived from red guava. In conclusion, it was verified that the way found to innovate was possible due to the correct management of the small companies that brought scale allowing increased technical, marketing, and financial capacity. This facilitated the interactions and interdependencies among the producers, which allowed them to gain competitiveness through technology.