Social entrepreneurship, local action and territorial branding on Lesvos Island. Towards a re-territorialisation process of small olive farming

Social entrepreneurship is a strategy that integrates economic and social value creation so as to unlock local productive potential and foster social progress through alternative funding strategies or management schemes. In Greece, social entrepreneurship has very newly emerged as concept and practice. Social economy could play an essential role for lagging islands, such as Lesvos Island, to survive in the new era of continuous change and become attractive as places of life and work, managing to achieve sustainability goals. Based on field survey data, the paper deals with the case of the Social Cooperative Enterprise (SCE) “Modousa” in the olive area of Gera gulf. Modousa is a community-led initiative of small olive oil producers created in 2014. The key research question focuses on whether and to what extent SCE Modousa: a) represents a different path for valorization of local productive potential compared to the conventional one of wholesale suppliers and conventional marketing channels, b) fulfills its social role and c) succeeds its sustainability goals and territorial branding.