Consumers’ preferences for ethical attributes of coffee: a choice experiment in the Italian market

Abstract

The world coffee market shows that coffee is a widespread consumption product characterized considerable potential for further increases. Coffee is one of the world’s most valuably traded commodity and its market is defined by high price volatility and long-term declining profits for the producers. Since the late 1990s the sustainability debate has been directly linked to the coffee sector so that coffee is regarded as the pioneering industry for sustainability standards and certification. Organic and Fair Trade are two of the most important ethical attributes of coffee with specific labels. The success of an organic and/or Fair Trade coffee depends on several factors. One of the most critical is the willingness of consumers to pay a premium price for ethical attributes. This study uses a choice experiment (CE) in accordance with several other studies to investigate the attitudes towards organic and Fair Trade coffee among Italian consumers.