A Study on the Factors Affecting Purchase Decision for Cheese Analogue Premix in B2B Segment

Globalization has changed the trend of food consumption in India drastically. Fast foods and processed foods have attracted youngsters to the extent that the ingredients like cheese, mayonnaise, tomato puree and many others have gained extreme popularity. The purpose of this study was to understand the various types of cheese and their alternatives available in the Business to Business (B2B) market with a focus on the types of cheese accepted by the food vendors and their specific properties that are desirable for certain food preparations. The study unveils the concept of cheese analogue which is new in this segment and is used as an alternative to dairy cheese. The study was carried out by collecting primary data from 130 food vendors and 5 producers. The research follows a descriptive research design, utilizing a non-probability sampling method, specifically purposive sampling. The results of this study will offer important new understandings of cheese substitutes, consumption patterns, buying behavior and problems faced by producers in the study area.