Evaluation of the Potential Interest of Italian Retail Distribution Chains for Kamut-Based Products

Kamut® is a special durum wheat variety with distinctive marketing characteristics that include nutritional/health aspects, ethical/environmental issues, and organic production method considerations. Italy is one of the most important markets in the EU for Kamut-based products. Kamut® is imported and sold primarily in specialized food stores. The main objective of this paper is to evaluate the potential interest of Italian large-scale retail chains in marketing this type of products and how large-scale retailers could extend their market potential. An explorative analysis approach was applied via in-depth, semi-structured qualitative interviews with Italian large-scale retail buyers and marketing managers. Both a heuristic and a quantitative content analysis of the interviews, and conceptual mapping were performed on the transcripts. The results allow highlighting motivating and limiting elements associated with trade implications.