Tra Tradizione e Innovazione: Strategie per la Competizione della Mozzarella di Bufala Campana DOP nei Mercati Moderni

Literature in the consumers’ behaviour towards traditional products showed a positive attitude towards typical and traditional food products. Even if a premium price has been paid, low competitiveness, mainly driven by traditional technologies and practices, could discourage producers from investing furthermore. R&D activities could orient production technologies towards a higher competitiveness frontier. However, such a preposition becomes controversial when pointing at traditional products discipline boundaries. PDO buffalo mozzarella case, because of milking seasonality, which is opposite to mozzarella cheese demand seasonality, on the one hand, requires innovations in order to have fresh milk in the right period. On the other hand, frozen milk is forbidden by the traditional EU approved production discipline. Breeding techniques, selection of specific breeds, and hormone treatments on buffalo cows are other possibility for having offseason mozzarellas, although the evidence of some of those technologies could discourage consumers and reduce willingness to pay. The solves the paradox by measuring willingness to pay for PDO buffalo mozzarella cheese, within and off-season, obtained through different technologies. In order to pursue the objectives, a face-to-face survey has been conducted on about 500 consumers. Interviews use a Contingent Valuation method to elicit willingness to pay regarding offseason buffalo mozzarella. Data have been analysed throughout a double bounded regression method. Results highlight some main behaviours: - PDO branding does not affect significantly consumers’ behaviour although geographical origin in general, together with taste expectation are the most important attributes for the purchase; - Information to have off-season production impact negatively consumers’ attitude; - Willingness to pay for offseason mozzarella is high and there is room for investing in such a direction. In conclusion, there is room for opening discipline to technologies that could preserve traditional producers’ income. However, case by case analysis needs to be considered because of potential over use of modern technologies on traditional branded products.