Marketing strategies for value chain development: Case of Khawlani coffee-Jazan Region, Saudi Arabia

This paper aims to provide insights into the local value chain (LVC), and present marketing strategies to increase yields and incomes. Though many studies are available on the development and efficiency of the coffee sector, this research is among the few studies, focusing on the effect of value-based strategies within the marketing scope on improving coffee quality and farmer’s income for one of the finest coffees in the Middle East. In fact, Jazan region is known for its khawlani coffee with hundreds of years old trees and a unique art of preparing and serving coffee which is deeply embedded within the Saudi national identity and traditions. This coffee represents a typical cultural consumption in the Arabian Peninsula. For data collection, In-depth interviews were conducted with randomly selected coffee farmers, distributed over the six mountainous regions of Jazan (Al Dayer, Faifa, Al Edabi, Harub, Al Aridha, and AL Reith), followed by a content analysis approach to visualize LVC components, patterns, and issues. Results reveal a common pattern among coffee farmers regarding coffee commercialization, cultivation techniques, and management behaviors. The imminent issues faced by the khawlani sector and the lack of awareness about the government initiatives were also highlighted. However, one of the main limitations of this study is that it is exploratory in nature and focuses on a single case. Nevertheless, the proposed marketing strategies were developed to offer guidelines for stakeholders, encouraging strategic investments along the value chain.