Increasing Demand for Pasture-Based Dairy: What Attributes and Images Do Consumers Want? - Re-Thinking Organic Food and Farming in a Changing World - page 124

success (Dimitri and Greene 2002 ). Consumers who frequent markets, like natural
health and food retailers, have a “highly adaptable micro-cultural frame of reference
for understanding the etiology of illness, the deep sources of wellness [ ]awide

range of ecological and social issues and the preferred trajectory of their lives”
(Thompson and Troester 2002 ). As a result of these concerns, natural food and food
co-op consumers are among those most likely to provide early support for niche
products that seek to address such issues.

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7.2 Methods

Two researchers trained in focus group methodology conducted six focus groups
dispersed geographically in Lower Michigan in May and June, 2010. Two focus
groups were held at each of three cities: East Lansing, MI; Traverse City, MI; Ann
Arbor, MI. These cities were selected to represent a wide geographic area of Lower
Michigan. Each focus group lasted less than 90 min and participants were paid $30
for their participation.
In each city, researchers recruited participants for one focus group from food
co-operative store consumers and the other focus group from natural food store
consumers (Table 7.1 ). However, in one city (Traverse City, MI), there was minimal
interest from the natural food store consumers to participate in the focus group,
so researchers recruited participants for both focus groups from the local food co-
operative in the same city.
Recruitment occurred 4-7 days before each focus group, by a combination of
personal and electronic means. For personal recruitment, researchers set up a table
with a poster inviting participation in the research near the entrance of the store.
Customers of the store were approached by the researchers asking them for their
participation. Customers were invited to participate if they were 18 years or older
and a consumer of cow's milk, although occasional users were not prohibited,
recruiters encouraged participation from more than occasional users. At other times

Table 7.1 Dates and locations of six focus groups held in Lower Michigan

Focus
group
number

Type of store
participants
recruited a

Type of
recruitment
method

Recruitment date
and time of day Date Location

1 5/25/10 East Lansing, MI N In Person 5/22/10 mid-morning

2 5/26/10 East Lansing, MI C E-mail listserv 5/22/10 afternoon

3 6/09/10 Traverse City, MI C In Person 6/2/10 evening

N b 4 6/10/10 Traverse City, MI In Person 6/2/10 evening

5 6/21/10 Ann Arbor, MI N In Person 6/17/10 late morning

6 6/28/10 Ann Arbor, MI C Facebook 6/21/10 afternoon

a N natural food store, C food co-operative
b In Traverse City, MI, there was low customer volume and consumer interest in this research at
the natural food store. As a result, some food co-operative shoppers were also invited to this focus