Consumer Perception Survey in Montenegro and Neighboring Countries
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+ Consumer Perception Survey in Montenegro and neighboring countries - Qualitative research in Montenegro, report FAO/EBRD – Upgrade of Meat Quality Standards & Exchange of Lessons in Western Balkans Project + Sample and Methodology • In-depth interviews with Target group Sample owners, managers and main chiefs in restaurants Hotels with 5* 4 / hotels in which MNE meat products are Hotels with 4* 16 served + Retail chain Hotels with 3* 10 managers Restaurants with national 10 cuisine mark Largest retail chains 5 Methodology: Qualitative research, in-depth interviews Number of respondents: 45 from all three geographic regions Time: approx. 45 min + Conclusions and Recommendations Based on In-depth interviews + CONCLUSIONS (1) General conclusions - Hotels: o Hotels in Montenegro pay the most attention to requests and expectations of tourists, based on which they define their menues. o Types of fresh meat served mostly depend on the hotel category and region where the hotels are located. All hotels offer lamb, veal, pork and beef, for hotels at the seaside is characteristic to offer fish specialties, while 5* hotels offer game as well. o All 4* and 5* hotels have wide range of meat preparations originating mostly from Montenegro, while 3* hotels’ offer of meat preparations is slightly poorer due to smaller capacities and structure of guests. o Purchase of fresh meat in 4* and 5* hotels is usually carried out on daily basis through registered producers/suppliers. On the other hand, 3* hotels procure fresh meat one or twice a week, from registered producers/suppliers, in butcher stores or markets or from small-scale local producers. o 5* Hotels purchase meat preparations on daily basis, while 4* and 3* hotels carry out this activity from 2-3 times a week to once a week. All hotels purchase meat preparations either from registered producers/suppliers or in markets. + CONCLUSIONS (2) General conclusions - Hotels: o Guests in hotels rarely ask about geographic origin of the product, so the hotels don’t find this item crucially important, and dedicate more attention to quality and necessary certificates. o Traditional products are not hard to find, but it is hard to find companies that legally produce such products with all necessary certificates. In majority, they are small-scale producers who have quality, but are unable to either meet demand or own relevant certificates. o Almost none of hotels promotes/advertizes Montenegrin products. There are no written information on country of origin and method of production. However, if the guest is interested, the hotel staff is ready to provide all necessary information. o In all hotels, Njeguši prosciutto is rated as premium quality product, with specific smell, taste and is served on daily basis. In order for this product to become a brand, in addition to specific method of processing and preparation, respondents think that it is necesary that raw materials originate from Njegusi or Montenegro as well. + CONCLUSIONS (3) General conclusions - Restaurants: o Restaurants build their image on Montenegrin dishes prepared in traditional way, and guests choose them due to their specificity. o Types of fresh meat offered by restaurants vary. Restaurants in mountain areas offer lamb, veal, pork and beef, restaurants in coastal and central region offer dishes from chicken and fish specialties, restaurants in areas inhabited with muslim population do not offer meals from pork, while only small number of restaurants offer meals from turkey and goat meat. o All restaurants have wide range of meat peparations in their offer, which they usually purchase from producers/meat industry from Montenegro. o Purchase of fresh meat is carried out on daily basis, or 2-3 times a week, while meat preparations are purchased from 2-3 times a week to once a week, depending on the season. Fresh meat is usually procured from small-scale local producers or in butcher stores, while meat preparations from registered producers/suppliers or in markets. + CONCLUSIONS (4) General conclusions - Restaurants: o Geographic origin of products is very important, because there is significant difference in quality and method of preparation between products from mountain and lower regions of Montenegro. o It is very important that products have quality mark/certificate, because it guarantees quality, while products purchased from small-scale producers (mostly fresh meat) must have safety certificate. o Restaurants do not have clear notification that certain products originate from Montenegro. Considering that these restaurants are national, it is implied that they offer exclusivelly Montenegrin products, and the staff is trained to present requested information on geographic origin and method of preparation. o Njeguški prosciutto is rated as products of premium quality, specific smell, taste and colour. It is offered in restaurants on daily basis. According to respondents, it is very important that in addition to specific processing method, raw materials too originate from Njeguši region or at least from Montenegro. + CONCLUSIONS (5) General conclusions - Retail chains: o All types of fresh meat can be found in retail stores in Montenegro, from pork, veal, baby beef, lamb, to beef and chicken. o The best-selling type of fresh meat is pork, while buyers in retail stores are ready to pay more money to buy fresh veal. o Njeguški prosciutto is the most demanded meat preparation in retail stores. o When choosing meat preparations, the most important elements for buyers are quality, price, vacuum packing and expiry date. o Fresh meat is purchased on daily basis, while meat preparations are procured depending on offer, but usually two-three times a week. o Meat preparations are mostly imported from: Serbia, Croatia and Macedonia. o In all retail stores, “quality mark/certificate“ is critical when choosing meat preparations. + CONCLUSIONS (6) General conclusions - Retail chains: o They do not cooperate with local small suppliers (individual farmers) because they are not registered and their products must not be in their offer, according to legal regulations. o They think that there is a lack of suppliers and producers of meat products to meet needs of retail stores in Montenegro. o They are willing to allocate more money for purchase of premium prosciutto from Njeguši under condition that it is prepared by certain standards and that raw material is from Montenegro. o Meat preparations from Montenegro and imports are not advertized separately, but in certain retail stores are physically separated in separate reefer display cases. o Advertising of specific brand is mostly done through actions on product. o It is not ggeographic origin that is decisive when choosing Njeguški prosciutto, but quality and price. o Respondents think that products of some producers in Montenegro do not have constant quality. + RECOMMENDATIONS (1) o Although Montenegro has good offer of meat products in general, it is necessary to invest into expansion of livestock, so that developed meat industry could use domestic raw material. o More funds need to be invested into new technologies for meat processing. o Particular attention must be paid to advertising brands originating from Montenegro. All restaurants and hotels need to be motivated to better promote Montenegrin products. It should be clearly stated which products are Montenegrin, method of their processing, etc. o Preservation of autochthonous types is prerequisite for preservation of taste of traditional food. o Montenegrin market has limited offer of fish products (only 1 registered fish store at the seaside), so the offer of fish and fish specialties in all regions of Montenegro is limited as well, while the demand of consumers grows. o Given that Montenegro is touristic country, there is a growing demand for game, but the offer is very limited. It is necessary to encourage meat producers to enrich and develop their offer in this direction. + RECOMMENDATIONS (2) o Restaurant and hotel staff needs to regularly attend trainings, visit producers, etc., so that they, in case the guest asks, would be ready to provide as much information as possible on the product itself, as well as method of its production.This could influence the guest’s choice to great extent. o The potential for development of meat industry in Montenegro also lies in the offer of trip tours, which would enable tourists to visit local producers and taste meat products prepared in traditional way on the agricultural holding. o The chance for small-scale meat producers lies in associations, and introducing geographic indication of origin. In that way, small quantities produced would obtain premium quality. Through associations, producers would be able to meet demands for larger quantities of certain buyers (tourist and hospitality industry). o Small-scale producers should be allowed to shorten the way to end consumer through opening local green markets, where they would offer their products with obligatory meeting of quality standards. o In order to declare the product as “domestic product”, it is very important that raw material are not imported, but that livestock is locally reared. + RECOMMENDATIONS (3) o According to respondents, Njeguški prosciutto, due to its method of processing and specific climate has better taste and smell if it is produced in Njeguši. Respondents think that raw material used for the production should be from Njeguši or at least from Montenegro. o Improve written informing on meat preparations. Producers must spend more money on analysis of their products, so that decalarations contain all necessary information, starting from gluten-free information to other positive aspects. o Support measures for expansion of livestock are justified considering that the demand for fresh meat and meat preparations is higher than domestic supply. o Taking into account that none of retail stores can meet demand for turkey meat from local producers, there is space for action of local producers to register their products if they have them and/or invest more into production of turkey.