Consumer preference analysis and willingness to pay for artisanal produced corn tostadas in southern Mexico

Tortillas are a representative element of the Mexican diet; in the south of Mexico, corn tortillas called tostadas are handmade. Discrete choice and psychological salience experiments were used to evaluate consumer behavior. Consumers prefer artisanal, healthy and natural tostadas and are willing to pay a premium price for them. Two consumer segments were identified: “Presentation Observers” and “Healthy Lovers”. There was no statistical difference between the symbolic and utilitarian psychological meanings. The representative utilitarian meanings were taste, appearance, dishes and pairing; and the symbolic meanings: appetence, process, hedonism and tradition.