Hans Persson (left) and son Mathias Persson.
Hans sold white button mushrooms in the first year for a total of 10,000 Swedish Krona (1,054 EUR). Luckily, he had the pig farm and other crops at the same time which gave him the room to develop this new venture. The operation started with just 2 rooms, filled with 50 garbage bags each, with the production area totalling 20m2. As demand for his mushrooms increased, Hans got rid of some pigs to make room for additional growing rooms. Today, the mushrooms are grown on a total area of 1,100m2 (including mushrooms sourced from other growers) with 526m2 grown at their own location. Approximately 250 tonnes of Champion mushrooms are produced annually for Hällestad.
Since 2012, the farm has been run by son Mathias.
Retailers slow to switch to specialty mushrooms
The company currently grows 14 different varieties; white and brown button mushrooms, forest mushroom, Portabella, Chestnut, Oyster mushrooms (yellow, pink, grey, king), Shiitake, Nameko, Pioppino, Pompon blanc, and Shimeji. The oyster, portebella and shiitake are all organically certified.
"We supply directly to the Skåne region in the south of Sweden, delivering between 2 to 6 days a week depending on demand. We also supply three mushroom varieties to Everfresh, packaging them for Coop's own brand (Änglamark), which are sent out to the entire country. We package around 5,000 small boxes for them every week, along with one tonne of loose mushrooms, which we expect to double a month from now with the start of the colder weather." shared Mathias Persson.
According to Mathias, the fact that many mushroom varieties can still not be found in stores sometimes stops consumers from buying them because they don't know enough about them. This is one of the reasons why the family offers tasting demonstrations at their location so visitors can get the chance to try the different varieties and learn how to cook them.
"Each mushroom has its own unique taste and structure. Most consumers think that they all just taste the same." said Mathias.
"We are slowly but surely getting through to the retailers, but it takes time. They need to be convinced that consumers are willing to switch over from the white and brown mushroom to the oyster. We had the same thing with the shiitake in 2013, and had to teach the stores that it is the second most grown mushroom in the world. We have to educate variety by variety. It is also important to work with the retailers to make sure that they create the right climate for the mushrooms. Humidity, not using fans, not having too much light (such as switching from halogen to led) are very import factors for increasing shelf life. It is a work in progress, many retailers view mushrooms the same as they do a carrot or tomato in the produce section, and a lot of work still needs to be done."
Lower demand during summer months
Sales are at their peak in January and go through to the middle of May when schools get out for the summer. Mushroom consumption is low during midsummer when most Swedes prefer eating potatoes and herring. Demand starts to pick up in August, reaching its peak around the new year when they are seen as a luxury item for the New Year's dinner. While meat and beans are the traditional fare during the festive period, mushrooms are being given more and more of an important place on the table.
Wild mushrooms varieties like the chanterelle and penny bun (Karljohan) become available in September and are very popular with consumers, which has a positive effect on the sales of other mushrooms varieties.
For more information:
Mathias Persson
Hällestadsvamp AB
Tel: +46 768927555
Email: mathias@hallestad.com
www.hallestad.com