Local-for-local more important in growing mushroom market

After years of decline, the mushroom market has started growing again. White mushrooms have also found their way up again, according to Alex Vos from Banken Champignons BV. “The largest growth is in chestnut mushrooms and the special mushrooms in mixed packs. In that respect, we’re in a great product group.” Retail in the Netherlands and across the border has more and more eye for mushrooms and products based on mushrooms.

“The product group as a whole is on the rise. It’s not that the chestnut mushroom is pushing out the white mushroom, all types are profiting,” Alex continues. The growth in the segment is thanks to the healthy characteristics that are brought to consumers’ attention more, but the mushrooms are also doing well as a meat replacer among vegetarians and flexitarians.

Not just the Dutch market is growing, growth rates are also reported in Germany. “The growth of chestnut mushrooms is even larger there, and the market for white mushrooms remains stable. It’s the same throughout Europe.” Sales of Banken Champignons are mostly dependent on export. About 65 to 70 per cent of sales are achieved across the border. The most important markets are the UK, France and Germany. “Those countries consume the most. We see the same development with chestnut mushrooms, but more exotic mushrooms are also experiencing a growth over there.”

By far the largest share in sales is on account of conventional mushrooms such as white mushrooms, portobello and oyster mushrooms. The wild and exotic mushrooms represent a smaller part of sales. The supply chain company from Wijchen, the Netherlands, imports the exotic mushrooms from countries including China and South Korea, after which the mushrooms are supplied to supermarkets in mostly mixed packs. “We are working intensively to see which specific types of mushrooms can be combined with certain kinds of recipes, such as pasta, rice and meat, and which are therefore appealing to buy.” That way, the company hopes to lower the purchasing threshold for exotic mushrooms for consumers.

Those looking only at the figures, can’t deny Polish production surpassed the Dutch production volume. “Labour costs are lower in Poland, so that the mushrooms can be offered at lower prices. And that has been noticed.” Although Alex admits it’s hard on the Netherlands, he sees opportunities to promote Dutch product on factors other than price. “Corporate Social Responsibility, Fair Produce, sustainability, quality,” he sums up some distinctive factors. “When a Dutch company chooses a Polish mushroom, they’re firstly choosing price, but due to the longer distance they’ll get an older mushroom.”

Growing exotic mushrooms can continue to help the sector, Alex thinks. “Absolutely. The Netherlands is and remains the only country with this much knowledge. That can also be seen in the number of suppliers active globally. The true knowledge is still here.” Dutch growers are researching the possibilities of growing the exotic mushrooms that are now imported from Asia on Dutch soil. “We are working on that more intensely,” Alex says. “The recent fipronil scandal shows food safety is very important, and that it’s important to control the entire supply chain.” The best way to control the chain is by personally growing the mushrooms, Alex explains. That’s why a company within the group is devoted to growing exotic mushrooms.

Besides food safety, the logistic advantages of Dutch cultivation are also an important factor to look into. “The anti-pollution tax for import from Asia is much higher,” Alex explains. “Throughout Europe, we can see the local-for-local trend becoming more important. In the past, the Netherlands was a strong exporter, but we’ve noticed customers prefer locally grown mushrooms more and more.” It requires a different approach to move along with this trend. “In addition to our Polish and Belgian production companies within the group, Banken Champignons also makes contact with growers in, for example, Germany to meet demand for local product. We have many contacts throughout Europe, and we’re constantly looking at how to make it more appealing for our customers.”

The mixed packs, among other things, play their part in this. “We have meal components, for which we mix or cut the mushrooms, but in the past two years, we also started thinking outside the boxes more.” That process resulted in a number of innovative products: a mushroom burger and fresh soup. Both trends are prompted by the growing group of vegetarians and flexitarians and the requirement of supermarkets to offer products without artificial ingredients. “The burger consists of at least 75 per cent mushrooms, and the other 25 per cent consists of vegetables. Compared to other veggie burgers, this burger consists completely of natural products,” Alex explains. A major German retailer recently took the burger into their assortment.

The second product line was developed in cooperation with Scelta Mushrooms, and consists of five soups. The mushroom-celeriac soup is naturally part of this range, but other versions have also been included, such as tomato-bell pepper soup and pumpkin-carrot soup. “Many products contain too much salt. We use umami, also called the fifth flavour, from mushrooms, to lower salt levels.” The soups will be available from Aldi in the Netherlands from week 37. “It’s unique for us as well, because we are pioneering off the beaten track, as it were, in order to put mushrooms on the map more prominently.” Retailers are interested in these products, but it requires a different approach from the trader. “It’s a learning process for us, because retail is really involved in the development of the products.”

Two years ago, Banken Champignons and Scelta Mushrooms introduced the mushroom with extra vitamin D. After two years, in which the bureaucratic processing in order to actually make a claim, these mushrooms will actually be available from supermarkets from early 2018. “Before you can communicate that mushrooms contain extra vitamin D, you have to show that and get permission from the European Commission,” Alex explains. A so-called Novel Food statement is needed for that. “Many people have a vitamin D deficiency, which has to be fixed with supplements. But we have a healthy vegetable with which you also acquire vitamin D. By consuming three mushrooms with extra vitamin D, you can compensate the daily deficiency.”

In the US, Canada and Australia, legislation differs from that in Europe. In those countries it’s normal to communicate a product contains more vitamin D. The process is simple. A mushroom contains ergosterol that is turned into vitamin D under influence of UV light. “In our process, the mushrooms grow under UV lights.”

Banken Champignons recently took a new packing line from Arco Solutions into operation. The Light to Perform packing line was especially developed for producers who sell their products in packaging with a minimal weight. “We looked for a solution to quickly and efficiently pack our mushrooms at the right weight, guaranteeing quality of the mushrooms,” Jurgen Banken from Banken Champignons says. “For us it’s mostly important that a machine is robust and reliable and that it’s user-friendly to the user. The machine also has to be easy to clean well. In the case of the new line, we specifically looked for a machine with which the weighing correct can be efficiently controlled by one person in an ergonomically responsible way, maintaining the quality of mushrooms.” Arco Solutions’ new machine pleases Banken Champignons, and meets all expectations. “We can quickly and efficiently pack mushrooms at the right weight. With the weighing machine we lower the surplus weight, as well as labour costs on the packing line, and not at the expense of quality of the product.”

The Light to Perform packing line for packing products in trays with a minimal weight is new in Arco Solutions’ programme. The packing line is specifically developed for products in lightweight packaging, such as soft fruit, snack vegetables, tomatoes and mushrooms. “Producers are often challenged by how to quickly and efficiently pack these products with as little additional weight as possible,” according to Jordy van der Sterren from Arco Solutions. “With the self-managing packing line with smart Light to Perform function, we save producers four to six per cent in product loss by surplus weight in packaging. Because the new packing line weighs every packaging and immediately indicates how the operator can achieve the ideal weight, you also get a higher production capacity. One operator can process as many as 100 packs per minute this way.” The packing line can process packaging of every desired weight between 50 and 1,000 grammes.

Banken Champignons BV

Alex Vos