Life Sciences Commons^™

What Components Influence Hypothetical Willingness To Pay For The Environmental Benefits Of Shade-Grown Coffee?, Ellen V. Webb

DePaul Discoveries

Coffee is one example of a good whose consumption can lead to environmental degradation that the consumer is unaware of. During the 19^th century, new high-yield varieties of coffee were developed that could be grown under the direct sunlight of recently deforested areas. An ecologically friendly alternative to mass-produced sun-grown systems is shade-grown coffee. This coffee is grown under traditional forest cover, providing ecological benefits such as species habitat, but at lower yields. In the global market, a price premium is the practice of placing a higher price than the market price on a specific good. If consumers value …