LAST MAY WE INFORMED YOU ABOUT A RESEARCH PROJECT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PADUA THAT INTENDED TO INVESTIGATE THE HABITS, KNOWLEDGE AND PREFERENCES OF THE CONSUMERS OF GRANA PADANO PDO. THE RESULTS ARE IN.
Last May we told you about a research project of the Department of Territory and Agro-forestry Systems of the University of Padua, which aimed to investigate consumer habits, knowledge and preferences towards the different types of Grana Padano PDO and to verify the premium price, according to a few distinctive characteristics of the product. (You can read the original post here).
The project, coordinated by Prof. Mara Thiene in collaboration with Agriform and Grana Padano Consortium, involved the collection of information through an online questionnaire and a purchasing simulation in a store.
The results of this survey, now available, provide a reflection on the consumers of Grana Padano PDO thanks to which it will be possible to promote the product in a targeted manner and to optimize the offer.
The study first of all focused on the degree of trust that consumers associate with the different characteristics of Grana Padano, concluding that the information in the package (32.9%), the visibility and readability of the information in the package (28.2%), the presence of the trademark on the rind (26.9%), of the Denomination of Origin DOP (25.7%) and of the trademark of the Consortium (23.4%) are the characteristics that most frequently inspire “a lot of trust”.
However, a more detailed investigation into consumers' knowledge of the logos on the packaging also revealed that it is necessary that Grana Padano Consortium keeps carrying out its educational process towards the customers for an increasingly aware purchase.
The reasons that drive consumers to purchase different types of cheese were then examined. The wedges, the most commonly purchased format by consumers (only 5.2% do not buy it), have the quantity of use as the main reason of choice, followed by their shelf life, their price and finally their safety in quality. The same reasons were expressed for the grated cheese.
The values of the simulated purchasing experiment, confirmed by the related questionnaire collected after product consumption, also suggest a strong interest of consumers in the use of mountain milk (Grana Padano DOP over 16 months Quota 1000) and in Grana Padano with longer aging (Grana Padano PDO over 20 months). The lysozyme-free option, on the other hand, seems to attract less interest.
These data, together with the trust originated by the presence of the Consortium brand, are also confirmed by the estimates obtained through the Mixed Logit model in WTP space, which represent the average willingness to pay of the consumer population. The attributes associated with the highest premiums are in fact the presence of the logo in the packaging, the use of mountain milk and, finally, the longer maturations.
We thank the TESAF Department of the University of Padua for this excellent work that will allow the companies of the Grana Padano supply chain to optimize their offer, bringing it even closer to the wishes of Italian end consumers.
On this occasion, we would also like to accounce that we have decided to "export" this experience abroad. In the coming months we will continue our collaboration with the University of Paduva, for a similar research that will be launched in Switzerland and the United States: Two of the most important countries in terms of volume of Grana Padano imports.
The project, coordinated by Prof. Mara Thiene in collaboration with Agriform and Grana Padano Consortium, involved the collection of information through an online questionnaire and a purchasing simulation in a store.
The results of this survey, now available, provide a reflection on the consumers of Grana Padano PDO thanks to which it will be possible to promote the product in a targeted manner and to optimize the offer.
The study first of all focused on the degree of trust that consumers associate with the different characteristics of Grana Padano, concluding that the information in the package (32.9%), the visibility and readability of the information in the package (28.2%), the presence of the trademark on the rind (26.9%), of the Denomination of Origin DOP (25.7%) and of the trademark of the Consortium (23.4%) are the characteristics that most frequently inspire “a lot of trust”.
However, a more detailed investigation into consumers' knowledge of the logos on the packaging also revealed that it is necessary that Grana Padano Consortium keeps carrying out its educational process towards the customers for an increasingly aware purchase.
The reasons that drive consumers to purchase different types of cheese were then examined. The wedges, the most commonly purchased format by consumers (only 5.2% do not buy it), have the quantity of use as the main reason of choice, followed by their shelf life, their price and finally their safety in quality. The same reasons were expressed for the grated cheese.
The values of the simulated purchasing experiment, confirmed by the related questionnaire collected after product consumption, also suggest a strong interest of consumers in the use of mountain milk (Grana Padano DOP over 16 months Quota 1000) and in Grana Padano with longer aging (Grana Padano PDO over 20 months). The lysozyme-free option, on the other hand, seems to attract less interest.
These data, together with the trust originated by the presence of the Consortium brand, are also confirmed by the estimates obtained through the Mixed Logit model in WTP space, which represent the average willingness to pay of the consumer population. The attributes associated with the highest premiums are in fact the presence of the logo in the packaging, the use of mountain milk and, finally, the longer maturations.
We thank the TESAF Department of the University of Padua for this excellent work that will allow the companies of the Grana Padano supply chain to optimize their offer, bringing it even closer to the wishes of Italian end consumers.
On this occasion, we would also like to accounce that we have decided to "export" this experience abroad. In the coming months we will continue our collaboration with the University of Paduva, for a similar research that will be launched in Switzerland and the United States: Two of the most important countries in terms of volume of Grana Padano imports.
Agriform è parte di: 