The AERU Value Chain Compass

Product Quality

Consumers pay a premium for a product only if they value it as a quality product. Quality begins with characteristics such as appearance, taste and texture. Quality also involves attributes that the consumer has to accept on trust, such as food safety, nutritional value, animal welfare, environmental stewardship and social responsibility. Many products also present a strong narrative around cultural authenticity valued by consumers. Thus, a value chain must pay attention to explaining key aspects of its product quality:

Understand market segments willing to pay a premium for attributes associated with its products.

• Defining the quality attributes of the product.

• Having trusted validation mechanisms for the attributes.

• Building a trusted and valued premium brand.