OSU Rolls Out Market Research Protocol for Farmers

Oregon State University’s College of Agricultural Sciences has put together a new program called the Market Research for Market Readiness Protocol.  Cathy Durham, Marketing Economist at OSU says the program is designed to help entrepreneurial food makers and value-added farmers evaluate new products they’re developing.

“The idea of the program came from the fact mostly entrepreneurs are ready to market their product, in terms of knowing the price and having tested the product with consumers, so this allows them to become ready for the market.”

Durham said there are two parts of the research protocol.  The first part is classic consumer testing which looks at the sensory properties for the food.

“You’re assessing their liking for the product, and you’re looking at whether the ingredients are well balanced for example, is it too sweet or not sweet enough, and those are called just about right questions.

After that, they focus on consumer purchasing intent.  Durham says the program got started with help from a USDA grant. To learn more about the program visit OSU's Website.

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