What attributes are consumers looking for in sweet cherries? Evidence from choice experiments

Abstract

We investigate heterogeneous consumer preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) for various sweet cherry attributes using choice experiments. A mixed logit model and a latent-class logit model are used to estimate consumer WTP for the attributes and identify groups of consumers based on those preferences. We find that consumers of sweet cherries will pay the greatest premium for sweetness and the smallest premium for fruit size. Three groups of consumers are identified - flavor sensitive, price sensitive, and storage sensitive. The results are useful for suppliers of sweet cherries when adopting targeted marketing strategies.