Consumer Values and the Choice of Specialty Foods: The Case of the Oliva Ascolana del Piceno (Protected Designation of Origin)

This work aims to stress the main values considered by consumers as determinants of their market choice behaviour, with specific regard to the Oliva Ascolana del Piceno, a protected designation of origin of the Le Marche and Abruzzi regions (Central Italy). In this chapter, we will:

introduce the research topic and the background of the research;

290describe the Italian market of protected designation of origin and protected geographical indication products, with particular attention to the Oliva Ascolana del Piceno;

describe the theory of consumption values, optimal stimulation values, and the reasons we focus on the epistemic value of a product;

describe the methodology used; propose and discuss the main findings of the research.