title: A cross-cultural segmentation of western Balkan consumers: focus on preferences toward traditional fresh cow cheese.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Western Balkan countries (WBCs) have a long-standing culinary tradition. The promotion of traditional foods may be a tool for coping with modernisation trends in such transition economies. This paper explores consumer preferences toward food in this region, focusing on a traditional fresh cow cheese locally called 'Mladi Sir'. This product was quoted in all the preliminary focus groups as a common traditional product present in the six WBCs studied: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After a literature review investigating the concept of traditional food in WBCs and the implementation of focus groups, a survey including a conjoint analysis on preferences for fresh cow cheese was carried out in 2011 to collect data from 1200 respondents. Four clusters of consumers were identified: one focused more on the local origin; one oriented more toward the scale of production (on-farm and small dairy); the third favouring low prices and the fourth preferring high prices and industrial products.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Policy makers and the supply chain could take these differences in consumer preferences regarding traditional food products into account in order to develop specific strategies.
authors: Social Sciences and Humanities Department, AgroSup Dijon, France.
authors: Georges
authors: G
authors: Giraud
authors: Corinne
authors: C
authors: Amblard
authors: Elise
authors: E
authors: Thiel
authors: Martine
authors: M
authors: Zaouche-Laniau
authors: Zaklina
authors: Z
authors: Stojanović
authors: Jure
authors: J
authors: Pohar
authors: Ružica
authors: R
authors: Butigan
authors: Miljan
authors: M
authors: Cvetković
authors: Boban
authors: B
authors: Mugosa
authors: Vladimir
authors: V
authors: Kendrovski
authors: Cristina
authors: C
authors: Mora
authors: Dominique
authors: D
authors: Barjolle
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D063368:Balkan Peninsula; D017522:Bosnia and Herzegovina; D002417:Cattle; D002611:Cheese; D003258:Consumer Behavior; D017523:Croatia; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003469:Culture; D003612:Dairying / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D054548:Montenegro; D018843:Republic of North Macedonia; D055771:Serbia; D017524:Slovenia; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: conjoint analysis; consumer preferences; cross-cultural segmentation; traditional cheese; western Balkan countries