Date of Award

2023

Document Type

Master Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Business (Research)

Department

TOURISM & HOSPITALITY

First Advisor

Ms. Ann O’Connor

Second Advisor

Ms. Siobhán Gough

Abstract

Bread has a long-standing history in the Irish diet and remains a staple part of our calorie intake with an average consumption of 37.5 kg per person per annum (Jocelyn, 2020; Murtagh, 2009). While the traditional breads of oatcakes and soda bread have remained a favourite for many decades, Ireland’s bread market has also evolved to include baked items from all over the world. Most recently, consumers have altered their purchasing habits in relation to bread due to the enforced restrictions on the movement of people (and consequently goods) during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 to 2022. Evidence suggests that the enforced restrictions enabled consumers to become more aware of their health and the quality and taste of the food which they were consuming, (people were effectively forced to ‘slow down’, come out of the so-called rat race and have time to reflect). One food item which garnered a lot of interest at this time was sourdough bread. Fermented foods in general were increasing in popularity due to their perceived benefits for gut health and sourdough bread falls into this category. Many types of fermented foods have since settled into the Irish consumer food market, as witnessed by the proliferation of offerings on supermarket shelves and this research will investigate whether the same can be said for sourdough bread. The creation of sourdough bread entails one the oldest methods of bread production in the world and requires a starter (or ‘mother’) which is traditionally derived from a mixture of flour, water and warmth, where the natural yeast found within the flour develops the fermentation (Suo, 2021). It was witnessed during the COVID-19 pandemic that not only were some people choosing more healthy foods, the extra time at home also afforded people an opportunity to make items from scratch that they wouldn’t normally have attempted and sourdough bread was one such example. Making a ‘mother’ and creating beautiful loaves (or crumbly failures) became a social media and COVID-19 pandemic phenomenon. However, evidence suggests that once restrictions were lifted and consumers returned to their busy lifestyles, they were unable to continue creating their sourdough loaf journey at home. For those consumers who were now ‘hooked’ on sourdough and appreciative of its taste, quality and or perceived health benefits, it is possible that this new dietary habit has helped increase demand for this unique loaf. Using a mixed methods approach of qualitative and quantitative research, this thesis aims to determine whether an increased number of consumers are in fact purchasing sourdough bread. Furthermore, the research aims to examine why consumers purchase sourdough bread and what they know about this type of bread. The findings show that there has been an increase in the number of consumers purchasing sourdough bread in Ireland, and that this increase has resulted in consumers becoming more aware of their health, and appreciative of the overall quality and taste of sourdough bread. Notably, the findings acknowledge that while consumers understand what is meant by the term sourdough bread, and that the quality of ingredients used to produce sourdough bread are important, they do not truly understand the process of how sourdough bread is created. Some of the findings suggest that only those consumers who have produced sourdough bread themselves really understand the process of this ancient, minimalist process. Unexpectedly, one of the key findings to emerge from the primary research was the need for a proper definition of the term sourdough. The professional bakers interviewed were, almost unanimously concerned with protecting the traditional sourdough bread production method and were wary about the authenticity of sourdough loaves sold in supermarkets. The findings contribute significantly to the current literature on the Irish bread market, sourdough bread and consumer behaviour in relation to sourdough bread. This research constitutes an important contribution to a subject and market in an Irish context, which is currently under-investigated.

Access Level

info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess

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