Choice-Based Conjoint Analysis for Orange Juice Types: A Study in the South Mediterranean Region

Orange juice industry is facing challenges driven by consumers’ preferences to buy differentiated functional drinks with health benefits and/or sustainable products. Functional drinks are less familiar to consumers, especially in the South Mediterranean region. Yet, the consumer preferences and willingness to pay are key determinants for the economic viability of the sustainability transformation of the citrus byproduct supply chain. Recently, a few studies have highlighted utilizing citrus processing waste to produce probiotics, showing the health benefits of adding it to orange drinks. This initiative accomplishes three objectives: promoting circular economy, increasing sustainability of the citrus supply chain, and producing functional orange drinks to cope with shifts in consumer preferences. Therefore, a choice-based conjoint study is conducted to explore the consumer preference and willingness to pay for three different types of orange drinks, namely orange juice with added probiotic, orange drink from nectar, and pasteurized not from concentrate (P-NFC) orange juice. The study also examines the influence of attributes such as price, sustainability labeling, and packaging on consumer choice and purchase decision. Results of the study carried out in Algeria, Egypt, and Tunisia reveal that the price is the most important attribute for consumers in the three countries. Egyptian consumers have almost the same preference for probiotic drinks and P-NFC. The Tunisian consumers favor the probiotic drink. In addition, Egyptian and Tunisian consumers are willing to pay more for the probiotic drink. Consumers in Algeria, Egypt, and Tunisia expressed interest in sustainability labels.