Understanding the motives of consumers of mezcal in Mexico

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to characterize the consumers of mezcal in Mexico based on their motivations, identifying different groups of consumers and their demographic characteristics. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire based on the Food Choice Questionnaire was applied to 310 consumers: 154 directly to mezcal consumers in three mezcalerias (mezcal bars) and 156 through five social networking communities of mezcal consumers. The data obtained were analysed using multivariate statistics, factor and cluster analysis. Findings The results show that the search for tradition is the determining buying motivation, whereas quality seals do not exert a significant influence. Four profiles of mezcal consumers can be identified according to their consumption patterns: consumer linked to the territory, traditional consumer, consumer in transition and social consumer. The predominant demographic characteristics in the four consumer groups described a male, between 20 and 39 years old, single, childless, with professional education and employed. The overall results reveal a consumer who shares the quality criteria established by mescal-producing communities and is strongly interested in traditionally processed drinks. Originality/value In Mexico, there are two important distilled drinks, tequila and mezcal. There is ample research on the first one, but there is less research on mezcal, despite it has an annual increase of 45 per cent in consumption. Most of the research work has been focused on aspects of diversity, sustainability and productivity, but there are not studies on the factors that affect mezcal consumption. Thus, this paper aims to characterize the consumers of mezcal, based on their motivations.