Marketing high quality Thai organic products in Europe? An exploratory approach

In an international trade context, environmental elements (e.g. the introduction of organic agriculture) and the role of the country of origin could influence the demand in the market of destination. This study aims at describing how qualitative research methods may help deepen knowledge regarding interest towards organic products imported from Thailand, specifically Kamut® wheat, organic rice and tapioca. In the case of Kamut-based-products 21 individual interviews were conducted with Italian large scale retailers, whereas in the case of products based on Thai rice and tapioca, 4 focus groups comprising of European consumers from Germany, Greece, Italy, and Scotland were administered. The individual and group interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed using a qualitative approach. In both cases a list of semantic categories was created, explained and supported by analysing the discussions using content analysis techniques. According to these results, survey participants did not know much about these products, especially about tapioca. In general, Thai Organic rice was perceived by the interviewed consumers as a 'different type' of rice and tapioca as a 'new food product'. Kamut® wheat was also perceived by the interviewed retailers as a 'new product'. The survey participants tend to favour the product's nutritional aspects, as the most relevant attributes followed by taste and smell, as well as a series of social and environmental benefits. The information obtained could be useful in further exploration of this topic, but it needs to be tested with a quantitative approach.