Tunisian consumer preferences for local forest honey attributes: A market segmentation analysis
Abstract
Aim of study: This study focuses on the segmentation of local forest honey market based on consumer preferences for its origin and other sensory attributes.
Area of study: Tunisia
Material and methods: The empirical analysis relies on a face-to-face questionnaire survey of 200 respondents, conducted in 2019 among Tunisian consumers. A cluster analysis was used to identify the market segments and multinomial logit analysis was used to determine segment membership characteristics.
Main results: Three distinct market segments were identified. The first segment of consumers (44% of the sample) prefer eucalyptus and multifloral honey from the Northwest origin; the second segment (39%) is composed of consumers that tend to buy honey mainly produced in the eastern region of the country; in the third (17%), consumers prefer thyme-rosemary' honey.
Research highlights: Consumer preferences for local forest honey mainly depend on its geographical origin, flower type, flavor and color. Findings suggest that gender, income, and grocery shopping task are the main determinants of the importance of these attributes.
Downloads
References
Almli VL, Verbeke W, Vanhonacker F, Næs T, Hersleth M, 2011. General image and attribute perceptions of traditional food in six European countries. Food Qual Prefer 22(1): 129-138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2010.08.008
Al-Qassemi R, Robinson RK, 2003. Some special nutritional properties of honey- A brief review. Nutr Food Sci 33(6): 254-260. https://doi.org/10.1108/00346650310507073
Aparna AR, Rajalakshmi D, 1999. Honey - its characteristics, sensory aspects, and applications. Food Rev Int 15(4): 455-471. https://doi.org/10.1080/87559129909541199
AVFA, 2016. Importance du secteur apicole. Agricultural Extension & Training Agency, Tunisia. http://avfa.agrinet.tn/upload/supports_ar/importanceapicole.pdf
Baber LM, Frongillo EA, 2003. Family and seller interactions in farmers' markets in upstate New York. Am J Alternative Agr 18(2): 87-94. https://doi.org/10.1079/AJAA200239
Bogdanov S, Jurendic T, Sieber R, Gallmann P, 2008. Honey for nutrition and health: A review. J Am Coll Nutr 27(6): 677-689. https://doi.org/10.1080/07315724.2008.10719745
Brown A, 2002. Farmers' market research 1940-2000: An inventory and review. Am J Altern Agr 17(4): 167-176. https://doi.org/10.1079/AJAA2002167
Cosmina M, Gallenti G, Marangon F, Troiano S, 2016. Reprint of "Attitudes towards honey among Italian consumers: A choice experiment approach". Appetite 106: 110-116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2016.08.005
Dibb S, Simkin L, 1991. Targeting, segments and positioning. Int J Retail Distrib 19(3): 4-10. https://doi.org/10.1108/09590559110143800
Escriche I, Kadar M, Juan-Borrás M, Domenech E, 2014. Suitability of antioxidant capacity, flavonoids and phenolic acids for floral authentication of honey. Impact of industrial thermal treatment. Food Chem 142: 135-143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2013.07.033
Feldmann C, Hamm H, 2015. Consumers' perceptions and preferences for local food: A review. Food Qual Prefer 40(A): 152-164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2014.09.014
Ghorbani M, Khajehroshanaee N, 2009. The study of qualitative factors influencing on honey consumers demand: Application of hedonic pricing model in Khorasan Razavi Province. J Appl Sci 9: 1597-1600. https://doi.org/10.3923/jas.2009.1597.1600
Grolleau G, Caswell JA, 2006. Interaction between food attributes in markets: The case of environmental labeling. J Agric Resour Econ 31(3): 471-484. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.708483
Guptill A, Wilkins JL, 2002. Buying into the food system: Trends in food retailing in the US and implications for local foods. Agric Hum Values 19(1): 39-51. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1015024827047
INS, 2020. Enquête nationale sur le budget la consommation et le niveau de vie des ménages 2015. The National Institute of Statistics, Tunisia.
Ismaiel S, Al-Kahtani S, Adgaba N, Al-Ghamdi AA, Zulail A, 2014. Factors that affect consumption patterns and market demands for honey in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Food Sci Nutr 5(17): 1725-1737. https://doi.org/10.4236/fns.2014.517186
Joshi SR, 2008. Honey in Nepal: Approach, strategy and intervention for subsector promotion income distribution. German Tech Coop/Private Sector Promotion. Laliptur, Nepal.
Kabbani D, Sepulcre F, Wedekind J, 2011. Ultrasound-assisted liquefaction of rosemary honey: Influence on rheology and crystal content. J Food Eng 107(2): 173-178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2011.06.027
Kallas Z, Alba MF, Casellas K, Berges M, Degreef G, Gil JM, 2019. The development of short food supply chain for locally produced honey: Understanding consumers' opinions and willingness to pay in Argentina. Br Food J 123(5): 1664-1680. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-01-2019-0070
Kurtagić H, Memić M, Barudanović S, 2016. Determination of type of honey produced in the different climatic regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Int J Environ Sci Technol 13: 2721-2730. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-016-1101-5
Luchese RH, Prudêncio ER, Guerra AF, 2017. Honey as a functional food. In: Honey analysis; Vagner A (ed.). IntechOpen, London. https://doi.org/10.5772/67020
Mitchell AA, Olson, JC, 1981. Are product attribute beliefs the only mediator of advertising effects on brand attitude? J Mark Res 18(3): 318-332. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378101800306
Mtimet N, Souissi A, Mhamdi N, 2020. Tunisian consumers perception and behavior towards organic food products. New Medit 19(1): 4-18. https://doi.org/10.30682/nm2001a
Murphy M, Cowan C, Henchion M, O'Reilly S, 2000. Irish consumer preferences for honey: a conjoint approach. Br Food J 102(8): 585-598. https://doi.org/10.1108/00070700010348424
Oñederra-Aramendi A, Begiristain-Zubillaga M, Malagón-Zaldua E, 2018. Who is feeding embeddedness in farmers' markets? A cluster study of farmers' markets in Gipuzkoa. J Rural Stud 61: 22-33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2018.05.008
Pocol CB, Teselios CM, 2012. Socio-economic determinants of honey consumption in Romania. J Food Agr Environ 10: 18-21.
Pocol CB, Bolboacă SD, 2013. Perceptions and trends related to the consumption of honey: A case study of North-West Romania. Int J Consum Stud 37(6): 642-649. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcs.12046
Resano H, Sanjuán AI, 2018. Exploring the role of mountain origin and autochthonous breed on urban consumers' acceptability. Sustainability 10(12): 4423. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10124423
Ridley W, Shook S, Devadoss S, 2015. Evaluations of consumers' preference structure for locally-produced beef. J Food Prod Mark 21(4): 413-425. https://doi.org/10.1080/10454446.2014.885871
Roman A, Popiela-Pleban E, Kozak M, Roman K 2013. Factors influencing consumer behavior relating to the purchase of honey, Part 2. Product quality and packaging. J Apic Sci 57(2): 175-185. https://doi.org/10.2478/jas-2013-0027
Sadowska M, Gogolewska H, Pawelec N, Sentkowska A, Krasnodębska-Ostręga O, 2019. Comparison of the contents of selected elements and pesticides in honey bees with regard to their habitat. Environ Sci Pollut Res 26: 371-380. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-3612-8
Saner G, Yercan M, Engindeniz S, Karaturhan B,Cukur F, 2007. Alternative marketing strategies for honey and other bee products in Turkey. J Agric Food Inf 8(4): 65-74. https://doi.org/10.1080/10496500802083690
Serra RDavidson KA, 2021. Selling together: The benefits of cooperatives to women honey producers in Ethiopia. J Agric Econ 72(1): 202-223. https://doi.org/10.1111/1477-9552.12399
Siegmund B, Urdl K, Jurek A, Leitner E, 2018. More than honey: Investigation on volatiles from monovarietal honeys using new analytical and sensory approaches. J Agric Food Chem 66(10): 2432-2442. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.6b05009
Testa R, Asciuto A, Schifani G, Schimmenti E, Migliore G, 2019. Quality determinants and effect of therapeutic properties in honey consumption. An exploratory study on Italian consumers. Agriculture 9: 174. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture9080174
Thøgersen J, Pedersen S, Paternoga M, Schwendel E, Aschemann-Witzel J, 2017. How important is country-of-origin for organic food consumers? A review of the literature and suggestions for future research. Br Food J 119(3): 542-557. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-09-2016-0406
Van der Lans IA, Van Ittersum K, De Cicco A, Loseby M, 2001. The role of the region of origin and EU certificates of origin in consumer evaluation of food products. Eur Rev Agric Econ 28(4): 451-477. https://doi.org/10.1093/erae/28.4.451
Ward Jr JH, 1963. Hierarchical grouping to optimize an objective function. J Am Stat Assoc 58: 236-244. https://doi.org/10.1080/01621459.1963.10500845
Wu S, Fooks JR, Messer KD, Delaney D, 2015. Consumer demand for local honey. Appl Econ 47(41): 4377-4394. https://doi.org/10.1080/00036846.2015.1030564
Yeow SHC, Chin STS, Yeow JA, Tan KS, 2013. Consumer purchase intentions and honey related products. JMRCS 2013: 1-15. https://doi.org/10.5171/2013.197440
Zulail A, Ismaiel S, Al Kahtani S, Al-Ghamdi AA, Adgaba N, 2014. Qualitative factors affecting the price and demand of honey in Saudi Arabia. Aust J Basic Appl Sci 8(10): 199-206.
Copyright (c) 2022 Spanish Journal of Agricultural Research
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
© CSIC. Manuscripts published in both the print and online versions of this journal are the property of the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, and quoting this source is a requirement for any partial or full reproduction.
All contents of this electronic edition, except where otherwise noted, are distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence. You may read here the basic information and the legal text of the licence. The indication of the CC BY 4.0 licence must be expressly stated in this way when necessary.
Self-archiving in repositories, personal webpages or similar, of any version other than the final version of the work produced by the publisher, is not allowed.
