Unpacking consumer preferences and willingness to pay for sustainable coffee certifications in Latin America

Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages worldwide, and Latin America plays a critical role as both a leading producer and an increasingly important consumer region. This study examines consumption habits and preferences for coffee attributes across four Latin American countries: Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, and Guatemala. Using survey data from 1,633 respondents and a discrete choice experiment, we evaluated consumer preferences for five key attributes: organic certification, country-of-origin, socio-environmental certifications, coffee type, and price. Results from mixed logit models reveal that consumers exhibit significant positive willingness to pay for USDA Organic certification, local origin, and socio-environmental certifications such as Fair Trade and Rainforest Alliance. In contrast, preferences for country-of-origin labels and specialty coffee types vary across countries. These findings provide actionable insights for producers, marketers, and policymakers on how to align product differentiation with local consumer preferences to enhance competitiveness and opportunities in local markets.