2023: Just Accepted
Original Research Article

Social or environmental consciousness? Exploring the consumption of cooperative wines among European citizens

Stefania Troiano
https://people.uniud.it/page/stefania.troiano

Published 2023-09-27

Keywords

  • Cooperative wine, sustainability, wine consumption

How to Cite

Troiano, S., Rizzi, L., & Marangon, F. (2023). Social or environmental consciousness? Exploring the consumption of cooperative wines among European citizens. Wine Economics and Policy. Retrieved from https://oaj.fupress.net/index.php/wep/article/view/14241

Abstract

Although the role of wine cooperatives in supporting sustainability has been deeply analyzed on the supply side, the study of consumers’ perception and behavior when choosing these wines is still scarce. This paper analyzes the attitudes, preferences and the willingness to pay (WTP) of European consumers, both when they purchase cooperatively produced wines and in their attitude to consume these wines. Their preferences between cooperative produced and organic wines were compared with the aim to understand if they appreciate more the social role represented by cooperatives or the environmental friendly aspects of organic production. A survey among 3,295 individuals resident in different European countries was carried out. The data were firstly analyzed by means of univariate tests, to assess consumers’ heterogeneity, and of a Bivariate Probit model, to explore the drivers of attitude and behavior, then a Multinomial Logit, and a Random Parameters Logit framework have been adopted. We found an association between the probability to know cooperative and organic wines, thus of propensity towards these products, and a higher WTP for organic than cooperative wines. Our findings suggest that organic might be a strategy to support wine cooperatives production and to target better market.

References

[1] Candemir, A., Duvaleix, S., & Latruffe, L. (2021). Agricultural cooperatives and farm sustainability–A literature review. Journal of Economic Surveys, 35(4), 1118-1144.

[2] Dessart, F.J., Barreiro-Hurlé, J. and van Bavel, R. (2019) Behavioural factors affecting the adoption of sustainable farming practices: a policy-oriented review. European Review of Agricultural Economics 46(3): 417–471.

[3] Helmberger, P. and Hoos, S. (1962) Cooperative enterprise and organization theory. Journal of Farm Economics 44: 275.

[4] Cook, M.L., Chaddad, F.R. and Iliopoulos, C. (2004) Advances in cooperative theory since 1990: a review of agricultural economics literature. In George W. J. Hendrikse, In Restructuring Agricultural Cooperatives (pp. 65–90). Rotterdam: Erasmus University Rotterdam.

[5] Hueth, B. and Marcoul, P. (2015) Agents monitoring their manager: a hard-times theory of producer cooperation: agents monitoring their manager. Journal of Economics & Management Strategy 24: 92–109.

[6] Carletti, A.M.P., Hanisch, M., Rommel, J. and Fulton, M. (2018) Farm gate prices for non-varietal wine in Argentina: a multilevel comparison of the prices paid by cooperatives and investor-oriented firms. Journal of Agricultural & Food Industrial Organization 16: 1–14.

[7] Mérel, P., Saitone, T.L. and Sexton, R.J. (2015) Cooperative stability under stochastic quality and farmer heterogeneity. European Review of Agricultural Economics 42: 765–795.

[8] Hirsch, S., Mishra, A., Möhring, N., & Finger, R. (2020). Revisiting firm flexibility and efficiency: evidence from the EU dairy processing industry. European Review of Agricultural Economics, 47(3), 971-1008.

[9] Giannakas, K., Fulton, M. and Sesmero, J. (2016) Horizon and free-rider problems in cooperative organizations. Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics 41: 372–292.

[10] Bontems, P. and Fulton, M. (2009) Organizational structure, redistribution and the endogeneity of cost: cooperatives, investor-owned firms and the cost of procurement. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization 72: 322–343.

[11] D'Amato, A., Festa, G., Dhir, A., & Rossi, M. (2022). Cooperatives' performance relative to investor-owned firms: a non-distorted approach for the wine sector. British Food Journal, 124(13), 35-52.

[12] Kumar, A., Saroj, S., Joshi, P. and Takeshima, H. (2018) Does cooperative membership improve household welfare? Evidence from a panel data analysis of smallholder dairy farmers in Bihar. India. Food Policy 75: 24–36.

[13] Gonzalez, R.A. (2018) Farmers' Cooperatives and Sustainable Food Systems in Europe. London: Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/Farmers-Cooperatives-and-Sustainable-Food-Systems-in-Europe/Gonzalez/p/book/9780367510947.

[14] Ji, C., Jin, S., Wang, H. and Ye, C. (2019) Estimating effects of cooperative membership on farmers’ safe production behaviors: evidence from pig sector in China. Food Policy 83: 231–245.

[15] Bono, F., & Loopmans, M. (2021). Spatializing solidarity: Agricultural cooperatives as solidarity transformers in Cuba. Rural Sociology, 86(4), 809-836.

[16] Rahimi, H., Mohamadi, A., & Haghighatian, M. (2021). Sociological Explanation of the Relationship Between Member Participation’and ‘Success’ of Agricultural Cooperatives (Case Study: Agricultural Cooperatives of Lorestan Prov-ince). Journal of Rural Research, 12(2), 388-403.

[17] Bareille, F., Bonnet-Beaugrand, F. and Duvaleix-Treguer, S. (2017) Objectives’ alignment between members and agricultural cooperatives. Review of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Studies 98: 75–91.

[18] Nilsson, J., Svendsen, G. L., & Svendsen, G. T. (2012). Are large and complex agricultural cooperatives losing their social capital?. Agribusiness, 28(2), 187-204.

[19] Figueiredo, V., & Franco, M. (2018). Factors influencing cooperator satisfaction: A study applied to wine cooperatives in Portugal. Journal of Cleaner Production, 191, 15-25.

[20] ISMEA (2022), Vino, Scheda di settore, https://www.ismeamercati.it/flex/files/1/2/4/D.3c3fab2db3ec5c6dda33/SchedaVino_2022_Ottobre_1_.pdf

[21] Mozas-Moral, A., Fernández-Uclés, D., Medina-Viruel, M. J., & Bernal-Jurado, E. (2021). The role of the SDGs as enhancers of the performance of Spanish wine cooperatives. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 173, 121176.

[22] Richter, B., & Hanf, J. H. (2021). Cooperatives in the wine industry: Sustainable management practices and digitalisation. Sustainability, 13(10), 5543.

[23] Nazzaro, C., Stanco, M., Uliano, A., Lerro, M., & Marotta, G. (2022). Collective smart innovations and corporate governance models in Italian wine cooperatives: the opportunities of the farm-to-fork strategy. International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, 1-14.

[24] Tudisca, S., Di Trapani, A. M., Sgroi, F., & Testa, R. (2013). The cost advantage of Sicilian wine farms. American Journal of Applied Sciences, 10(12), 1529.

[25] Marangon F., (2022), Wine cooperatives and quality clues: a choice experiment on European consumers, Book of Abstracts of 1st Conference of the EuAWE, May 2022 (18 - 21), UTAD, Vila Real (Douro), Portugal.

[26] Elster, J. (1989). From here to there; or, if cooperative ownership is so desirable, why are there so few cooperatives?. Social Philosophy and Policy, 6(2), 93-111. DOI: 10.1017/S0265052500000650

[27] Garrido, S. (2022). Cooperatives, opportunism and quality product: Why the early Spanish cooperative wineries produced ordinary wine. Business History, 64(1), 118-133. DOI: 10.1080/00076791.2019.1685504

[28] Schamel, G. H. (2015). Can German wine cooperatives compete on quality?. BIO Web of Conferences 5, 03003. DOI: 10.1051/bioconf/20150503003

[29] Botonaki, A., & Tsakiridou*, E. (2004). Consumer response evaluation of a Greek quality wine. Food Economics-Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica, Section C, 1(2), 91-98.

[30] Đurić, K., Prodanović, R., & Jahić, M. (2021). Experiences of European Union countries in the field of agricultural cooperatives. Journal of Agronomy, Technology and Engineering Management, 4(3), 583-590.

[31] Vaquero Piñeiro, M., Tedeschi, P., & Maffi, L. (2022). Winemakers. In A History of Italian Wine (pp. 91-134). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.

[32] Pennerstorfer, D., & Weiss, C. R. (2013). Product quality in the agri-food chain: Do cooperatives offer high-quality wine?. European Review of Agricultural Economics, 40(1), 143-162. DOI: 10.1093/erae/jbs008

[33] Sáenz-Navajas, M. P., Campo, E., Sutan, A., Ballester, J., & Valentin, D. (2013). Perception of wine quality according to extrinsic cues: The case of Burgundy wine consumers. Food Quality and Preference, 27(1), 44-53. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2012.06.006

[34] Bonroy, O., Garapin, A., Hamilton, S. F., & Souza Monteiro, D. M. (2019). Free-riding on Product Quality in Cooperatives: Lessons from an Experiment. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 101(1), 89-108. DOI:10.1093/ajae/aay025

[35] Grashuis, J. (2019). The impact of brand equity on the financial performance of marketing cooperatives. Agribusiness, 35(2), 234-248. DOI: 10.1002/agr.21574

[36] Carbone, A. (2021). From Flasks to Fine Glasses: Recent Trends in Wine Economics. Italian Economic Journal, 7(2), 187-198. DOI: 10.1007/s40797-021-00151-6

[37] Rebelo, J., Lourenço-Gomes, L., Gonçalves, T., & Caldas, J. (2019). A hedonic price analysis for the Portuguese wine market: Does the distribution channel matter?. Journal of Applied Economics, 22(1), 40-59. DOI:10.1080/15140326.2018.1550596

[38] Aiassa, P., Baltes, M., Danner, S., Frischengruber, H., Horvath, R., Klotz, W., & Vacca, A. (2018). Successful wine cooperatives: Field reports from cooperative managers in Austria, Italy, and Germany. Journal of Wine Economics, 13(3), 243-259.

[39] Dreyer, A. (2019). Wine Plus Tourism Offers: It Is Not All About Wine—Wine Tourism in Germany. In M. Sigala, R.N.S.Robinson (Eds.), Wine Tourism Destination Management and Marketing (pp. 399-421). Cham: Palgrave Macmillan.

[40] Schamel, G. H. (2014). Wine quality, reputation, denominations: How cooperatives and private wineries compete?. BIO Web of Conferences 3, 03008. DOI: 10.1051/bioconf/20140303008

[41] Bernal-Jurado, E., Mozas-Moral, A., Fernández-Uclés, D., & Medina-Viruel, M. J. (2021). Online popularity as a development factor for cooperatives in the winegrowing sector. Journal of Business Research, 123, 79-85.

[42] Di Vita, G., Caracciolo, F., Brun, F., & D’Amico, M. (2019). Picking out a wine: Consumer motivation behind different quality wines choice. Wine Economics and Policy, 8(1), 16-27. DOI: 10.1016/j.wep.2019.02.002

[43] Raza, S., & Thomas, A. (2018). Is there complementarity between certified labels and brands? Evidence from small French cooperatives. Review of Industrial Organization, 53(2), 367-395. DOI: 10.1007/s11151-018-9618-z

[44] Mullahy J. (2016). Estimation of multivariate probit models via bivariate probit. The Stata Journal, 16, Number 1, pp.37-51.

[45] Greene, W. (2003). Econometric analysis (5th ed.). Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall.

[46] Masiero L. and Zoltan J. (2013). Tourists Intra-Destination Visits and Transport Mode: a Bivariate Probit Model. Annals of Tourism Research. Vol. 43, pp. 529-546.

[47] Castillo-Manzano, J. I. (2010). Determinants of commercial revenues at airports: Lessons learned from Spanish regional airports. Tourism Management, 31(6), 788–796.

[48] Lancaster, K. J. (1966). A new approach to consumer theory. Journal of political economy, 74(2), 132-157. DOI:10.1086/259131

[49] Anderson, N. H. (1971). Integration theory and attitude change. Psychological review, 78(3), 171.

[50] McFadden D. (1974). Conditional logit analysis of qualitative choice behaviour. In P. Zarembka (Ed.), Frontiers in econometrics (pp. 105-142). New York: Academic Press.

[51] Quintal, V. A., Thomas, B., & Phau, I. (2015). Incorporating the winescape into the theory of planned behaviour: Examining ‘new world’wineries. Tourism Management, 46, 596-609.

[52] Quintal, V. A., Thomas, B., Phau, I., & Soldat, Z. (2021). Segmenting hedonic wine tourists using push–pull Winescape attributes. Australasian Marketing Journal, 1839334921999478.

[53] Gallenti, G., Troiano, S., Marangon, F., Bogoni, P., Campisi, B., & Cosmina, M. (2019). Environmentally sustainable versus aesthetic values motivating millennials’ preferences for wine purchasing: evidence from an experimental analysis in Italy. Agricultural and Food Economics, 7(1), 1-16.

[54] Williams, K. M. (2021). Wine Tourism: From Winescape to Cellardoorscape. Tourism Analysis, 26(2-3), 245-248.

[55] Torrisi, F., Stefani, G., & Seghieri, C. (2006). Use of scanner data to analyze the table wine demand in the Italian major retailing trade. Agribusiness: An International Journal, 22(3), 391-403.

[56] Stasi, A., Nardone, G., Viscecchia, R., & Seccia, A. (2011). Italian wine demand and differentiation effect of geographical indications. International Journal of Wine Business Research.

[57] Boncinelli, F., Dominici, A., Gerini, F., & Marone, E. (2021). Insights into organic wine consumption: behaviour, segmentation and attribute non-attendance. Agricultural and Food Economics, 9(1), 1-16.

[58] Ball, H. L. (2019). Conducting online surveys. Journal of human lactation, 35(3), 413-417.

[59] Topp, N. W., & Pawloski, B. (2002). Online data collection. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 11(2), 173-178.

[60] Lockshin, L., Jarvis, W., d’Hauteville, F., Perrouty, J.P., 2006. Using simulations from discrete choice experiments to measure consumer sensitivity to brand, region, price, and awards in wine choice. Food Quality and Preference 17 (3-4), 166-78.

[61] Loureiro, M.L., Umberger, W.J., 2007. A choice experiment model for beef: What US consumer responses tell us about relative preferences for food safety, country-of-origin labeling and traceability. Food Policy 32 (4), 496-514.

[62] Staub, C., & Siegrist, M. (2022). Rethinking the wine list: restaurant customers’ preference for listing wines according to wine style. International Journal of Wine Business Research.

[63] Robinson (Eds.), Wine Tourism Destination Management and Marketing (pp. 399-421). Cham: Palgrave Macmillan.

[64] Hauck, K., Szolnoki, G., & Pabst, E. (2021). Motivation factors for organic wines. An analysis from the perspective of German producers and retailers. Wine Economics and Policy, 10(2), 61-74.

[65] Demossier, M., & Viecelli, C. (2022). Anthropology, wine and culture. In The Routledge Handbook of Wine and Culture (pp. 15-19). Routledge.

[66] Gastaldello, G., Giampietri, E., Zaghini, E., & Rossetto, L. (2022). Virtual Wine Experiences: Is Covid Extending the Boundaries of Wine Tourism?. Wine Economics and Policy.

[67] Niklas, B., Cardebat, J. M., Back, R. M., Gaeta, D., Pinilla, V., Rebelo, J., ... & Schamel, G. (2022). Wine industry perceptions and reactions to the COVID‐19 crisis in the Old and New Worlds: Do business models make a difference?. Agribusiness.