Purpose This study examines the influence of country-of-origin (COO) and producer origin on consumer preferences. In today’s globalised markets, many products cannot be attributed to a single country, creating discrepancies between COO and producer nationality. This study aims to assess the main effects of COO and producer origin on preferences, examine their interaction effects and explore how consumers’ subjective and objective knowledge moderate these relationships. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected through a conjoint survey of 420 Japanese respondents in August 2024 and analysed using ordered multinomial logistic regression. Findings Both COO and producer origin positively influence consumer preferences. Preference increases when COO and producer nationality differ. Moreover, consumer knowledge moderates these effects, with subjective and objective knowledge influencing their strength. Originality/value This study extends prior work by examining COO–producer interaction effects with consumer knowledge in a conjoint setting. As COO–producer discrepancies become increasingly common, the findings offer practical implications beyond the wine market, extending to other product categories.
Yabuno et al. (2026) studied this question.