Investigating Consumer Demand and Willingness to Pay for Fresh, Local, Organic, and "On-the-Stalk" Edamame

Abstract

Introduction of locally adapted, commercially viable edamame varieties can allow it to be marketed as fresh, local, organic, or on the stalk. Here, we utilized a one-and-one-half bounded (OOHB) elicitation format to estimate mean willingness to pay (WTP) for these external attributes in relation to a vector of explanatory variables. Results showed 84-, 85-, and 28-cent premiums for fresh, local, and organic edamame (10 oz). Pro-environmental attitudes drove WTP for all three of these attributes, while shopping location significantly increased mean WTP for fresh and organic attributes. A 40-cent price discount was observed for the "on-the-stalk" attribute, suggesting that convenience also plays an important role in marketing edamame. The results suggest that more research regarding edamame demand is warranted.</p>