THE CRAFT BEER - AN APPRECIATED SUSTAINABLE BEVERAGE

This study aims to provide an overview of the craft beer industry and consumption in order to identify consumer preferences. More specifically, it aims to identify a target group of consumers and their willingness to pay (WTP) for craft beer and to enrich knowledge about consumer preferences and the product attributes that influence these preferences. Data were collected through a questionnaire completed by 231 participants. To evaluate the WTP for a 0.33 cl craft beer, they were asked to choose from five price levels starting from “> 3 and < 4 euro” with an increase of 1 euro for each interval. To assess the influence of intrinsic and extrinsic characteristics of beer quality on consumer choice, a Likert scale was proposed on: color, transparency, alcohol content, consistency, aroma, bitterness, raw materials, provenance, brand, price, label, market availability. The results of the study reveal that the majority choose to consume craft beer because they believe it is of higher quality and tastes better, which is why they are willing to spend more than on industrial beer. Consumers' preferences regarding craft beer attributes highlighted as most significant: body, aroma, brand and price. No recent studies have examined a model comparing these aspects, so this study could contribute to the development of new knowledges. Moreover, craft beer is more sustainable than the industrial one, so consumers attitude to buy and drink it should be encouraged.