The Symbolism Behind Consumption: A Qualitative Analysis of the Behaviour of Consumers of Specialty Coffees

This article aims to analyze the importance of the symbolism behind the consumption of specialty coffees. The research highlights the importance of discussions in the contemporary academic field of marketing and management aimed at understanding consumer behaviour. Therefore, this article describes a descriptive and qualitative study in which a group of consumers of specialty coffees from Lavras, south of Minas Gerais, was interviewed to understand what leads them to consume this product. What are the symbolic values that move them to make this choice? In-depth interviews were conducted using a completion test as a projective technique, followed by content analysis using the Bardin method. Having analyzed the interviews, we now understand that consumption is a process of dynamic choice composed of different steps, each with particular characteristics. In addition, it was possible to identify three groups of consumers, which, according to the respondents' answers, would be guided by quality, experiences or status. In the end, it was observed that the influence of symbolic factors was decisive in the consumption of the product in question-specialty coffees-and influenced not only the purchase of the product but also the loyalty of the consumer and the fact that he/she becomes an influencer of future consumers.