Abstract
Research report written in the context of the Interreg Alpine Space European Project 'AlpFoodway' Walnut oil (ouillo di gnoué in the local patois) is rooted in the Valdostan food heritage. After a reconstruction of the broader historical and cultural context of walnut oil production and consumption in Aosta Valley, this field study reconstructs the histories and development trajectories of two walnut oil producers who, in different manner, have contributed to the safeguarding of the traditional walnut oil productive know-how and its valorisation. One is a private artisanal producer who owns a walnut oil hot-press passed down through the generations in his family. The other is a successful commercial enterprise that has resumed a family tradition and introduced an innovation to the production method (the cold pressure of walnuts) in response to market opportunities. These cases highlight that food heritage is at the same time traditional, contemporary and alive, and that product and process innovations in response to evolving needs are compatible with its safeguard. Different production processes rooted in traditional heritage and know-how that thus can coexist in the same area. The case also shows that heritage products can be valorised in the marketplace through different mechanism. Their value may be grounded in tradition and typicality, which however might not be enough to attract heritage-insensitive market segments. Research on the cardio-protective functions of walnut oil has greatly contributed to open new markets to Valdostan producers. Finally, the case show how hygiene regulations may hinder the turning traditional know-how and skills into marketable offer. Food heritage cannot generate sustainable development if those who own valuable heritage skills and desire to create new business are discouraged from doing so.