Study Finds Consumers are Willing to Pay More for Sweet Grown Alabama Sweet Potatoes
August 17, 2023
Good news for Sweet Grown Alabama member farmers! A study recently conducted by the Alabama Cooperative Extension System and the Auburn University College of Agriculture at five different farmers markets across the state concluded that consumers are willing to pay more for sweet potatoes with the Sweet Grown Alabama label.
Data analysis shows that at an Alabama farmers market, Sweet Grown Alabama sweet potatoes will have an average price premium of $2.61 more than a comparable basket from an unknown origin in the US. Sweet Grown Alabama sweet potatoes also have an average price premium of $1.96 over a basket from neighboring Mississippi.
Additionally, the research team compared the willingness to pay for sweet potatoes from an Alabama farm with an identical basket that includes the Sweet Grown Alabama label. This provides evidence about how farmers market consumers view the Sweet Grown Alabama brand. An average $1.01 premium over a similar state-grown product that lacks the Sweet Grown Alabama label was reported by consumers.
Read more about this economic experiment at ACES.edu.
Assistant Director Aisling Fields joined the Alabama Cooperative Extension System for their Farming Basics Podcast to talk more about this study.