This article by Pierre-Yann Dolbec, Concordia University originally appeared on the Conversation and is published here with permission.
Craft work gives professionals the opportunity to create unique products that align with their personal visions. This helps the makers distinguish themselves and express their identity through their work. This rise in demand and popularity of a craft-oriented approach to a consumer good has shifted a large part of the market towards craft values and beliefs.Businesses conduct their activities based on key values and beliefs. Craft firms undertake theirs striving for esthetic engagement, creative expression and an aspiration to quality. In contrast, commercial firms such as McDonald’s McCafé and Tim Horton’s privilege the maximization of profits.
Commercial firms introduce products that have profit potential. The infamous Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte, the Nespresso Vertuo and Tim Horton’s recently launched line of espresso-based drinks are not concerned with the coffee experience or bringing out the distinctive flavors of a bean. Rather, they offer consumers fun, affordable or convenient products and services that help increase firms’ profit margins.
Craft companies esthetically engage with commercial innovation. They transform the Pumpkin Spice Latte by using artisan syrup and curated spices that ideally match the taste characteristics of a specific coffee bean. Some craft companies have also leveraged the convenience offered by pod machines and developed their own versions to provide consumers with the opportunity to experience high-end coffee at home.
Some have argued that craft offers more authentic products, perhaps because craft work creates a kind of one-to-one relationship between the producer and consumer that is different from the standardized mass market production that dominates so much of our economy. But while craftspeople’s creative expression might be found in their products and presentation, commercial firms have become skilled at mimicking the artistry of craft professionals, making it difficult to identify which is which.