Development Pathways of Regional Public Brands for Agricultural Products—A Case Study of Yanyuan Apple

在乡村振兴战略背景下，农产品区域公用品牌建设成为推动农业产业升级和区域经济发展的重要抓手。本研究以四川省盐源苹果为典型案例，运用扎根理论方法，系统地梳理了品牌的发展历程与演化路径。研究发现：盐源苹果通过品牌培育(1989年以前)、品牌注册与成长(1989~2009年)、品牌生态圈(2010年至今)三阶段发展路径，成功实现了从单一农产品到区域公用品牌的跃迁。其品牌发展经验表明，在培育阶段，依托政策与环境驱动，通过技术探索与良种培育奠定基础；在成长阶段，面临品种单一、技术滞后、市场竞争等压力，政府、企业、科研机构、农户等多主体协同推动品牌注册与产业链完善；在生态圈阶段，在消费升级与同质化竞争下，通过技术创新、政策推动、产业融合及助农机制形成品牌生态圈。Under the strategic context of rural revitalization, the development of regional public brands for agricultural products has emerged as a pivotal driver for agricultural industry upgrading and regional economic growth. This study adopts Yanyuan Apple in Sichuan Province as a representative case and employs a grounded theory approach to systematically analyze the brand’s developmental trajectory and evolutionary path. The research reveals that Yanyuan Apple has successfully transitioned from a single agricultural product to a regional public brand through three distinct phases: brand incubation (prior to 1989), brand registration and growth (1989~2009), and brand ecosystem formation (2010 to present). Key findings indicate: During the incubation phase, policy support and environmental advantages laid the foundation through technological exploration and superior cultivar development. In the growth phase, collaborative efforts among government entities, enterprises, research institutions, and farmers addressed challenges such as limited variety diversity, technological gaps, and market competition, facilitating brand registration and industrial chain optimization. In the ecosystem phase, responding to consumption upgrading and homogeneous competition, the brand ecosystem has evolved through technological innovation, policy incentives, industrial integration, and farmer-support mechanisms, demonstrating a synergistic development model.