Investigating kiwifruit consumer preferences in Japan: Aligning cultivars, origins, and pollen sources

This study investigates how Japanese consumers value distinct kiwifruit attributes—cultivar, production country, pollen sourcing, and cultivation method—and the moderating influence of variety-seeking tendencies. A discrete choice experiment involved 1,362 frequent kiwifruit consumers, with half receiving additional information on cultivar breeding origins. Mixed logit models in willingness-to-pay space reveal that yellow-fleshed SunGold (Zesy002) outperforms the common green-fleshed Hayward, while the red-fleshed Hongyang and green Kouryoku are undervalued. Japan-grown kiwifruit exceeds New Zealand, whereas Chinese imports are discounted. Consumers also prefer domestic or self-collected pollen over imported sources, indicating a country-of-origin alignment effect. Although organic production earns a modest premium, high variety-seeking consumers show greater openness to novel cultivars and self-collected pollen. The results suggest potential strategies for differentiating kiwifruit via transparent labeling of cultivar, origin, and pollen sourcing in Japan's increasingly competitive market.