In recent years, many monasteries throughout Greece using high quality primary production are able, either via traditional ways and new technology applications to produce outstanding boutique final products for the consumer, usually sold in urban niche conventional, and/or e-markets. The aim of the present original research is to examine the main purchasing trends of monastic agri-food products by a sample of 112 consumers in Northern Greece, as well as to investigate their views on the market prospects of these products. The research findings showed that consumers bought monastic agri-food products on the account of their high quality and because they sought authentic, traditional taste. In addition, the majority of study participants expressed the belief that the demand for monastic agri-food products will increase significantly in the near future.
Keywords: Consumers, Monasteries, agri-food products, market perspectives, trends