In this paper, we investigate consumer preferences for various environmentally friendly production
systems for carrots.We use discrete choice multi-attribute stated preference data to explore the effect
of the collective reputation of growers from an Alpine valley with an established reputation for its
environmentally friendly production: Val di Gresta ‘the valley of organic orchards.’ Data analysis of
the panel of discrete responses identifies unobserved taste heterogeneity for organic, biodynamic, and
place of origin along with extra variance associated with experimentally designed alternatives. The
assumed parametric taste distributions are each tested using the semi-nonparametric specification
proposed by Fosgerau and Bierlaire, while the null of normality cannot be rejected for organic and
biodynamic production methods, though it is for the place of origin. The latter is found to be bi-modal,
with modes at each side of zero. The use of a flexible taste distribution increases the plausibility of this
form of heterogeneity and it appears promising for future applied studies.
