How Small Firms in the High Quality Food Sector Can Improve Their Business Performance: The Ligurian Oil Case Study

This paper proposes a methodology to create market value in the high quality food sector. The research starts from the consumer's opinion about the attributes characterizing a high quality food, then a market research shows which are the attributes able to increase the good value in the different distribution channels. The paper shows how attributes are market and channel dependent, therefore attribute able to create value in certain markets and channels are uninflected in others. The methodology proposed is concretely applied on a case study: the Italian Extra virgin olive oil sector with a particular focus on the Ligurian olive oil, one of the most appreciated Italian oil. Likewise the methodology can be implemented form many other high quality food.