Kathy Kelley, Ph.D.

Cooperative Extension Educational Focus

As consumer demand changes and as competitive forces increase, it is crucial to inform stakeholders about strategies they should consider to best appeal to customers. The focus of my Extension program is to develop business and marketing educational resources (e.g., presentations, articles, and webinars) for wineries, tasting rooms, and other agricultural producers and retailers.     

The Penn State Wine and Grape Extension Team

Together, we inform Pennsylvania wine industry members (e.g., grape growers, winemakers, winery tasting room personnel, wine tourism organizations) about research-based strategies that will enhance their individual businesses, as well as increase the overall presence of the industry in the Mid-Atlantic region.  Our team includes Extension Educators and Specialists from a number of disciplines: agricultural economics, entomology, enology, marketing, plant pathology, and viticulture.  

Wine Marketing Articles

Several articles have been published on Penn State’s Extension's Grape and Wine Production, Business Management and Marketing Website. The articles focus on developing and enhancing cause marketing programs, tasting room sales techniques, interacting with and involving customers, providing an experience, and related topics. Select articles include:

• Alcoholic Beverage Consumption and Purchasing Trends 2024. 
• Using Emotion to Engage Alcoholic Beverage Consumers.
• Winery Tasting Room Customer Journey Mapping. 
• Creating a Tasting Room Experience.  
• Developing Your Tasting Room Loyalty Program.

Current Research Focus

I conduct consumer and market research to learn what wine label information appeals to wine consumers, their preferences for bottle sizes and container materials, and what events and tasting room activities are likely to encourage consumers to visit. I collect data from consumers using a variety of survey methods. I then share this information with industry members to help them better understand consumption and purchasing patterns and make more informed business decisions.

PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS SINCE 2018

• Kelley, K. M., Hopfer, H., & Centinari, M. (2024). Evaluating white wine consumer interest in Grüner Veltliner, a potential signature varietal for Pennsylvania. International Journal of Wine Business Research, 36(6), 301–328. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1108/IJWBR-04-2023-0020
• Govindasamy, R., Ayeni, A., Kelley, K. M., Simon, J., Sciarappa, W., van Vranken, R., Nitzsche, P., Schilling, B., Komar, S., Arumugam, S. (2022). Ethnic crop consumption and marketing in the Eastern United States: Trends and prospects. Mediterranean Agricultural Sciences, 35(3), 155-165.
• Kelley, K. M., Todd, M., Hopfer, H., Centinari, M. (2022). Identifying wine consumers interested in environmentally sustainable production practices. International Journal of Wine Business Research, 34(1), 86-111. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJWBR-01-2021-0003
• Todd, M.J., Kelley, K.M., and Hopfer, H. (2021). USA Mid-Atlantic consumer preferences for front label attributes for local wine. Beverages 7(22):1-16. https://doi.org/10.3390/beverages7020022  
• Kelley, K. J. Bruwer, J., Zelinskie, D. Gardner, R. Govindasamy, J. Hyde, and B. Rickard. (2019). Wine consumers’ willingness to adopt environmentally friendly packaging practices at tasting rooms: An ECHAID analysis. British Food Journal 122(1):309-327. DOI: 10.1108/BFJ-04-2019-0229
• Bruwer, J., J. Cohen, and K.M. Kelley. (2019). Wine involvement interaction with dining group dynamics, group composition and consumption behavioral aspects in USA restaurants. International Journal of Wine Business Research 31(1):12-28. DOI: 10.1108/IJWBR-06-2018-0027
• Yue, C., R. Govindasamy, and K.M. Kelley. (2019). Mid-Atlantic wine tourism consumer preference: An econometric approach. International Journal of Wine Business Research 31(3):326-343. DOI: 10.1108/IJWBR-03-2018-0011
• Kelley, K., J. Bruwer, J., Zelinskie, D. Gardner, R. Govindasamy, J. Hyde, and B. Rickard. (2018). Travel group member type effects in wine tourism: An ECHAID segmentation. Tourism and Recreation Research 44(1):54-65.DOI: 10.1080/02508281.2018.1541578 
• Gardner, D.M., K.M. Kelley, and A. Miller. (2018). Assessing the educational needs of the Pennsylvania wine industry.  Journal of Extension 56(2): https://www.joe.org/joe/2018april/rb6.php
• Govindasamy, R., S. Arumugam, J. Zhuang, K.M. Kelley, and I. Vellangany. (2018). Cluster analysis of wine market segmentation – A consumer based study in the Mid-Atlantic USA. Economic Affairs, 63(1):151-157. 
• Miller, A., K.M. Kelley, D.M. Gardner, R. Govindasamy, J. Hyde, B. Rickard, and K. Storchmann. (2018). Assisting Mid-Atlantic wine industry stakeholders in developing consumer-centric marketing strategies: Internet survey results. Journal of Extension 56(1): https://www.joe.org/joe/2018february/rb5.php