Per capita apple consumption is decreasing in many European countries due to the perception that apples have inferior sensory traits and to the dissatisfaction of some consumers with mainstream apple cultivars. Previous studies on the consumers' acceptance of apples state that sensory attributes have a large influence on consumers' willingness to pay (WTP). Following this previous evidence and with the aim of reversing this decreasing consumption trend, our objective was to study the effect of apple sensory attributes on consumers' WTP for a mainstream ('Golden Delicious') and a local traditional apple cultivar ('Reineta'), grown at two different altitudes (high and low). A total number of 195 apple consumers participated in one experiment with two tasks. In the first task, participants were asked to rate five external and internal sensory attributes, and in the second, to indicate their maximum WTP in an experimental auction for the four apple samples. Results indicated that the WTP and the effect of sensory attributes on the WTP were different among the four apple samples. Our findings indicate that sweeter and juicer apples might be marketed at higher prices and that firmness is only appreciated in the case of the local cultivar grown at low altitudes.
Keywords: auction; consumer acceptance; hedonic evaluation; preferences.