Autor(es): Fernandes, António ; Fernando, Sousa ; Aveiro, Dina ; Ribeiro, Maria Isabel
Data: 2025
Identificador Persistente: http://hdl.handle.net/10198/35235
Origem: Biblioteca Digital do IPB
Assunto(s): Consumption; Cheese; Market Research; Portugal; Goat
Data were collected from a sample of 120 individuals aged between 18 and 84 years old through the application of a questionnaire at the National Agricultural Fair, held from June 3 to 11, 2023, at the National Exhibition Center in Santarém, Portugal. Subsequently, the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, revealing that the majority of the respondents were male (52.5%), had secondary (25.0%) or higher (41.7%) education qualifications, lived in households of 2 (35.8%) or 3 people (24.2%) with a monthly net income between 501 and 1,000 euros (20.8%) or 1,001 and 3,000 (40.3%) in the districts of Santarém (25.8%), Lisboa (15.8%), or Leiria (9.2%). The majority (84.5%) consumed cheese more than once a week. They preferred cheese made with raw milk (68.3%) from goat (55.0%), with a curing time of around 30 days (55.0%) or 90 days (51.7%). They also preferred the whole cheese (61.7%), certified (59.1%) with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), Protected Geographical Identification (PGI), or Organic Agriculture (OA). As for the cheese size, the respondents preferred wedges of 220 and 400 g. The most important attribute for consumers proved to be the price, followed by the type of milk (cow, sheep, goat, mixed), curing time, cheese size/portion, presentation form (whole, half, wedge), type of milk (pasteurized, raw), certification (PDO, PGI, OA) and whether the cheese had spices/aromatic herbs. The study reveals that the commercial strategy of the producer group (LEICRAS) should prioritize smaller portions without using spices/aromatic herbs, since opting for smaller-sized cheese entails higher operating costs.
