The aim of this paper is twofold. First, it discusses how the functioning and performance of food chains are affected by the way stakeholders are embedded in the chains, by the coordination modes, and by the kind of governance. Second, by depicting six relevant agro-food chains, attention is raised on the kind of the stakeholders that participate in the chain and on the role of each with a special focus on possible drawbacks of an effective functioning of the supply chains. The chains outlined are (i) supply chains driven by a large retailer; (ii) supply chains driven by a global processing company; (iii) supply chains driven by a cooperative; (iv) supply chains for geographical indications; (v) short supply chains; and (vi) supply chains driven by a specialized high quality retailer. Special consideration is given to the positioning of farmers in each of the six chains and to the outcomes they get. It is shown how: (i) going spot on the marketplace may leave them with difficult market access and no bargaining power; (ii) being embedded in supply chains framed in the context of a captive governance may result in a squeeze of their profits as well as in unreliable market access; and (iii) supply chains are populated by reciprocal and pooled relationships and ruled by a more relational kind of governance, beside potentially bringing advantages in terms of decision power and economic benefits, also raises difficulties and drawbacks due to complexity of functioning, heterogeneity of stakeholders, and ambiguity of the nature of relations among them.

No abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to contribute understanding tendencies of the Italian demand for craft beer. More in details, it seeks at exploring consumers’ awareness about craft beer, their attitudes, habits and behaviors. It also aims at assessing the impact of each and all these features on consumers’ choice. At last, the paper frames different consumers’ profiles. Design/methodology/approach The analysis is based on an online survey associated with a choice experiment designed for assessing willingness to buy (WTB) and willingness to pay (WTP) for craft vs industrial beer. Factors influencing consumers’ expenditure for craft beer are explored via an OLS estimation of a simple regression model. Afterwards, different consumers’ profiles are depicted via cluster analysis. Findings The survey shows that, overall, Italian consumers appreciate craft beers and are interested in this market. Socio-demographic characteristics impact this inclination but have no significant influence on the results of the choice experiment. Market knowledge, preferences and consumption habits influence consumer spending. Five different consumer profiles emerge. Originality/value The research proposes a combined original methodology for assessing beer consumers’ features and their impacts on beer WTB and WTP. The complementary perspectives adopted provide new insights on craft beer demand. Results are of interest for craft brewery managers and for the design of policies aimed at promoting and expanding the sector. Enlarging the sample and improving its representativeness would allow for more general results.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to focus on high segments of the Italian olive oil and wine markets. The main goal is to compare the role and the effectiveness of the certification of origin in the creation of value in the two selected markets. Moreover, the authors investigate how different quality clues in the olive oil and wine sectors are related to prices. Design/methodology/approach – To meet the goal the authors estimate two separate hedonic price models where the price of the product is regressed over different quality clues some of which are sector specific and some are common to the two sectors. The models are estimated on data which come from two of the major Italian guides chosen for their well established reputation and for the richness of information. Findings – The results indicate that: product origin and the relative certification schemes play a relevant role in the formation of prices in both markets; while the olive oil price seems to be more sensitive to farm location than to the certification of origin, the opposite happens for the wines; the higher segments of the Italian olive oil market is increasingly sophisticated and follows the main tendencies established in the quality wine markets where many quality attributes are intensely active. Research limitations/implications – First, it should be kept in mind that results for higher market segment may not hold for different segments where relevant quality clues may be different. Second, reader should be aware that comparability of the two samples is constrained by limited data availability for the olive oil sector compared to the wine sector. Originality/value – This study represents one of the first attempts to compare the role of the certification of origin in the creation of value in the Italian agro-food markets.

Olive oil markets, both traditional and new ones, are changing rapidly with vertical as well as horizontal differentiation that increasingly play a role in featuring demand and supply. The paper explores the role and effectiveness of different quality clues in the creation of value in high segments of the Italian olive oil market by applying a hedonic price model. Data come from one of the oldest and most reputed Italian guides Flos Olei which reviews around 250 Italian producers and their products. The study covers three production years (from 2012 to 2014) so that, besides the OLS estimations, a panel data analysis is also conducted. Main results indicate that consumers give value to features directly related to the product, as well as to the raw material used and to the production process; also, the kind of producer and the production area affect price. Moreover, the analysis shows the emerging role of experts in releasing valuable information about quality. On the contrary, European quality schemes, such as those for product origin and for organic production, do not bring additional value to consumers in the explored high market segments.