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Introduction
The consumption of organic food has grown remarkably, both in developed and developing countries. According to Willer and Lernoud (2016), the total value of the EU organic retail market has more than doubled in the last ten years, reaching the value of 24 billion euros in 2014. The leading EU countries regarding sales were Germany (7.9 billion euros), France (4.8 billion euros), UK (2.3 billion euros), and Italy (2.1 billion euros). The highest per capita consumption of organic food was in Switzerland (221 euros), Luxembourg (164 euros), and Denmark (163 euros). The consumption of organic food is on the rise due to increasing concerns regarding the negative externalities associated with the effects of intensive farming systems on both human health and the environment (Nasir and Karakaya, 2014). Taking into account the rapid growth of the market for organically produced food, understanding a variety of motivations, perceptions, and attitudes consumers hold regarding organic food is essential for organic product producers, suppliers, marketing specialists, and policymakers. Previous research suggests that organic food purchases are mainly driven by concerns about health, the environment, food safety, and animal welfare, desires for supporting the local economy and a wholesome lifestyle, nostalgia, and pursuit of fashion (Hughner et al. , 2007; Schaer et al. , 2013). A frequent topic of many studies in organic food marketing is an attempt to identify characteristics of organic food consumers for segmentation purposes. Numerous studies have explored consumer characteristics associated with the acceptance of organic food including benefits sought from organic food (e.g. Lund et al. , 2012), the frequency of organic food purchases, demographics, food-related lifestyles, and values and lifestyle (e.g. Nasir and Karakaya, 2014; Nikolic et al. , 2014). Although the literature on organic food market segmentation is well-established in the context of Western European mature organic markets, segmentation studies of novice organic food markets of South-Eastern Europe region are difficult to find in the academic literature (Hemmerling et al. , 2015). Considering the uneven stages of organic food market development in Western European countries and Southeast European countries, it is valuable to have more detailed studies of consumption within a market that is still in its infancy (Paul and Rana, 2012).
To gain a better understanding of the organic food...