BUS 217 The Business of Food and Drink in Ticino
This course explores key business and entrepreneurship ideas through the lens of food and drink companies in the canton of Ticino. The class will combine readings, case studies, videos and company visits which together will examine the challenges and opportunities of founding and growing food related businesses. A central component of the course will be visits to a series of firms in Ticino that produce food stuffs or beverages including a brewery, a winery, a cheesemaker, and an organic farm: through these visits, we will discuss with the owners/founders a range of topics including a) how and why they founded the company, b) what challenges they have had to overcome and c) their vision for their firm over the next five to ten years. We will be combining these company visits with readings and class discussions regarding key topics on small business management. Some of the topics we will be exploring include: marketing and promotion strategies; funding strategies; legal issues & regulatory compliance, and market competition.