The notion that exotic mushrooms are exclusively consumed by the upper class is a thing of the past, according to Harold Schuurmans of Westland Mushrooms, The Netherlands. "It might have been the case, because prices were at a fairly high level back then. That has certainly changed. Asian mushrooms are becoming more accessible to the general public. You see more and more products becoming available in supermarkets, for example in the frequency packages. Incidentally, we now provide several stores in The Hague, but also the local shopkeepers in De Lier, with a wide range of exotic mushrooms. The great thing is that once the consumer has purchased a Eryngii, Shimeji or Enoki, he keeps coming back for more."
"Promotion is of the utmost importance. People often over look the products, not because of the price, but because they are unfamiliar with them. Therefore, we provide our customers as much as possible with product and manufacturing information,” says Harold. "With regard to in-store promotion, we still have a lot to learn. Until now, the mushroom promotion focused mostly on the white mushrooms, which I can understand because those campaigns are funded by producer organizations, which do not sell the foreign product."
However, the older consumers are still the main buyers of exotic mushrooms. "Many people know the white mushrooms, but they want something different for once. And my impression is that the older generation, possibly because of travel experiences, is more open than young people. I dare say that the exotic mushrooms don’t have to be much more expensive than the Dutch mushrooms, because the product is just not as expensive as it used to be. In the supermarkets, the price tends to be too high sometimes, but slowly retailers are starting to understand that customers are willing to make repeat purchases if prices are lower.”
