European consumer preference for African dried fruits

Summary

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess European consumer preference and willingness to pay (WTP) for tropical dried fruits from Africa. The paper specifically investigates sensory and credence characteristics driving consumer preferences. Design/methodology/approach – Data on sensory descriptive analysis and hedonic evaluation for seven samples representing three fruit types: mango, pineapple and banana, were collected together with data on Country of Origin (COO) preferences and WTP for conventional, organic and fair-trade labelled dried fruits, among Norwegian consumers (n=96). Findings – The results show that consumer preferences for a dried fruit are affected significantly by its typical aroma intensity and consumers are willing to pay a premium for both organic and fair-trade products. Two consumer groups expressing distinct COO preferences for tropical dried fruits and a third group with no country preferences are revealed. Originality/value – This study provides useful insights for dried fruit producers and market strategists in tropical countries attempting to position value-added products for maximum revenue.