Profile and behavior of the consumer of handmade ginger candy in Paraná coast

Ginger has been cultivated in Brazil since the middle of 1500’s, and it is nowadays widely used as a condiment in the manufacture of beverages, perfumes, breads, cakes, biscuits, jellies, soft drinks and candies, especially the ginger candy that has been produced by small farmers in Paraná Coast. Although the delicacy is classified as an important alternative in income generation and regional development, no studies on the subject were found. In this context, a descriptive and exploratory research was carried out from July to December of 2018 with 100 consumers of this candy, and the study aimed to investigate the profile and behavior of the consumers of handmade ginger candy, in order to guide the production of the candy in micro and small industries in Paraná Coast. The research revealed that there was no significant statistical difference in the consumption of ginger candy related to gender and age. It was observed with regard to the consumers marital status that the divorced ones bought more candies than singles and married ones. The appearance of the ginger candy was classified by the consumer as an unsatisfactory attribute, being one of the main rejection factors. The adoption of the mix of flavors with other fruits could soften the strong flavor of the ginger and change the color pattern and significantly improving the penetration capacity of the candy in the market. It is concluded that regarding to the product distribution (points of sale), the producers should evaluate the possibility of opening new distribution channels, expand the line-up (mix of products offered), location of the sales point and delivery logistics to new customers. The observation of these factors may in the medium term, increase the market share of the ginger candies produced in the region, then raising the competitiveness levels.