sexta-feira, janeiro 10, 2020

Azeite e Trás-Os-Montes

Este blogue acompanha o tema do azeite há alguns anos. Apresento no fim uma lista não exaustiva de postais sobre a produção e comercialização de azeite.

No ano passado comecei a ter consciência plena dos impactes ambientais da produção e colheita no olival superintensivo alentejano. Assim, em Junho de 2019, sem planear, simplesmente aconteceu o que relato em "E sem intenção, e sem querer, apareceu na minha mente a decisão de pôr de lado o azeite alentejano".

No Sábado passado fui às compras ao mesmo sítio, ao mesmo corredor, onde tinha tido dificuldade de encontrar um azeite expressamente transmontano, seis meses antes (situação que descrevo na hiperligação anterior), e tive uma forte surpresa. No dia seguinte escrevi no Twitter:

Entretanto, na passada terça-feira fui a um supermercado da rede Coviran, especialista em verduras, perto de minha casa, e não resisti a trazer para experimentar, apesar da garrafa de plástico:
Entretanto, ontem ao final da tarde tive oportunidade de ler "Do market prices correspond with consumer demands? Combining market valuation and consumer utility for extra virgin olive oil quality attributes in a traditional producing country" de Petjon Ballco e Azucena Gracia, publicado por Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services.
"At the beginning of the 21st century, the law of demand in food production supplanted the law of supply. [Moi ici: Um tema interessante. O mundo muda quando a oferta é maior do que a procura, aquilo a que desde 2010 chamo "bolha azeiteira", nessa altura há que fugir da ideia de que se vende uma commodity] Agricultural organisations and the agri-food industry must adapt to consumers’ highly diversified expectations. In addition, consumers expect to be fully informed about the products they purchase. They demand healthy products that taste good and take into consideration social, ethical and environmental issues in terms of production practices and traditional production methods. Under this framework, the agro-food sector must continually seek strategic orientations to differentiate products, not only in the sense of increasing production but rather towards diversifying food supply by promoting attributes that are valued by consumers. Olive oil is an example of a product where greater differentiation has been associated with increased production and consumption worldwide.
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preferences between consumers from the traditionally producing countries and those from the emerging markets have significantly changed. While in non-producing countries the consumption of olive oil has increased enormously from low levels, Mediterranean countries, where consumption was relatively high, are now facing a shift towards the consumption of higher quality olive oils and, more specifically, extra virgin olive oils (EVOOs). [Moi ici: O artigo cita 21 artigos publicados nos últimos 5 anos sobre preferências de consumo de azeite]
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the results from the marginal WTP estimates indicated that, on average, consumers were willing to pay an additional price premium of 2.13€/L for an EVOO that carried the PDO certification compared to one without this indication. In the same way, participants were willing to pay an additional premium of 1.51€/L for an EVOO that was produced in the county, and 1.27€/L for an EVOO produced in the region relative to an EVOO from the rest of Spain. [Moi ici: O estudo foi feito em Saragoça]
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The positive premium that the indication of olive variety had on price provides evidence that the EVOO sector has indeed increased in differentiation. Consumers’ knowledge has also increased, because depending on the olive variety (Arbequina, Picual, Hojiblanca) consumers can form expectations regarding the taste of the EVOO (i.e., fruity, pungent, etc.). This result is in line with Cabrera et al. (2015) who illustrated the importance given to the olive variety in Spain. In terms of container materials, results show that a plastic container was valued negatively in comparison to a glass container, which received a premium price.
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Although there were relatively few organic olive oils in the Spanish market, results showed that this certification was an important quality cue that positively affected EVOO market prices.
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Unexpectedly, the European PDO quality certification did not affect the market prices of EVOOs in Spain. This result is in line with previous research by Carbone et al. (2018) in Italy who found negative effects on price for olive oils with PDO, and Cabrera et al., 2015 in Spain who found no influence on price for EVOOs with PDO. Contrary to the PDO quality certification, the presence of production origin on the label had a positive influence on EVOO prices. As extensively shown by other authors, the origin of production is one of the most important aspects for many consumers of EVOOs
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while we maintain that PDO certification is an important attribute that helps consumers differentiate the quality of an EVOO, at a regional level where the local producers are well known, this attribute does not add any value to the prices of EVOOs in the market. This result is in line with Cabrera et al. (2015) for EVOO in Spain, who showed that the local origin of production label had positive effects on prices in comparison to PDO certification which did not affect the price. In addition, this result was also highlighted by Marcoz et al. (2016), who suggested that PDO quality certification has higher value the further the consumer is from the area of production.
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Consumer behavior for a typical product, such as an EVOO that is consumed on a regular basis, appears to be stable but, in reality, faces constant changes in differentiation. The most influential attributes in terms of utility and WTP estimates found were the origin of production (i.e., county and region) for EVOOs, and PDO quality certification. In the market, the attributes that influenced EVOO prices were labels that indicate the olive variety, organic certification, origin of production, sold in glass containers and in establishments with a high variety of leading brands.
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those producers who want to gain competitive advantages, should not be satisfied by just offering products to the market, but should strive to create value for each customer specifically.The more distinctive and inimitable a product is, the more likely the company is to gain loyal customers. Furthermore, consumer awareness about olive variety and clear identification of production origin should encourage producers to develop new products based on single olive varieties characterized by different sensory attributes."
Interessante a repetida referência a: "production methods; production processes; sustainability; e organic production"

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