ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Sustain. Food Syst.
Sec. Agricultural and Food Economics
Volume 9 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fsufs.2025.1571055
Cultivating the Wild: Strategies for Entrepreneurs Navigating Niche and Specialty Food Markets
Provisionally accepted
- 1Purdue University, West Lafayette, United States
- 2University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, North Carolina, United States
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Consumers increasingly prioritize authenticity and sustainability in food choices, yet these preferences present strategic challenges for entrepreneurs seeking to scale production. Using discrete choice experiments involving 1,039 U.S. consumers, this study evaluates willingness to pay for three food products (salmon, venison, and morel mushrooms) comparing wild-foraged or hunted versions to farm-raised alternatives. Results reveal a consistent consumer preference for wild products, with average premiums of $5.09 for salmon, $7.47 for venison, and $4.73 for morels. These premiums are driven by perceptions of naturalness, minimal human intervention, and alignment with personal values, particularly animal welfare, distrust in government oversight, and identification with "foodie" culture. However, the value of wildness operates as a "credence" attribute, meaning that farm-raising these products can erode perceived authenticity and reduce total addressable market size. The findings illustrate the "authenticity paradox," whereby success in scaling a niche product can undermine the very characteristics that drive demand. We conclude by emphasizing the need for entrepreneurial strategies that balance ecological sustainability, market expansion, and consumer trust in niche food markets.
Keywords: agri-food entrepreneurship, niche marketing, Wild foods, Market dynamics, Sustainable food systems
Received: 04 Feb 2025; Accepted: 03 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Malone and Cooper. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Trey Malone, Purdue University, West Lafayette, United States
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.