“Innovations helps sector forward”

The start of the wild mushroom season was difficult this year, but the market recovered well. “Plenty of wild mushrooms are available, and they’re selling very well,” says Harold Schuurmans from Westland Mushrooms. The company is specialised in wild and exotic mushrooms, a market that has grown in recent years.

“In the past, wild mushrooms were a true seasonal product, they weren’t available year-round, but especially chanterelles are much available nowadays,” Harold says. The chanterelle is the most recognisable mushroom, Harold explains. “Most people know what you’re talking about.” The wild mushrooms are picked in forests in the Balkans, Lithuania, Belarus, the US or Portugal, among other places. Because these places are so spread out, year-round availability has been realised.

“People are very conscious about food nowadays. That’s a double-edged sword, because people are consciously looking for food with healthy nutrients, and therefore often choose mushrooms,” according to Harold. “Mushrooms are a healthy, low-fat and low-salt product, that are full of natural proteins,vitamins, fibres and minerals.” Another point helping the mushroom sector forward is the growing world population. More and more has to be grown on a smaller area. “Mushrooms really lend themselves to that, because the material mushrooms grow on is always available. Mushrooms are nature’s cleaners.”

Pickers set off to find mushrooms in the forests during the season. Much experience is needed for that to prevent a toxic mushroom being picked. “That risk is non-existent,” Harold knows. The experience in the supply chain, from pickers via sorters to trade is so extensive that these mistakes are never made. “We have been working closely with carefully selected harvesting organisations for years.” Cultivation of wild mushrooms isn’t easy. “Nature isn’t easily copied,” Harold sums up the biggest challenge. Yet he has noticed a shift. Twice a year, Harold travels to China to visit mushroom producers. He’s seen many investments in innovations recently.

“They try to grow certain mushrooms that only grow in naturally. They’re succeeding, but it can’t be compared to the mushroom growing naturally,” Harold explains. He therefore marks these projects as innovations that will eventually lead to commercial volumes. “Looking at mushrooms that are now often traded, such as eryngii, shiitake and maitake, these all started like that. Trying will get you results.” In the Netherlands, new crop types are also tested, but the scale in which it’s done in Asia is much bigger.

The combination of growing demand and more and more mushrooms being available in good volumes boost the market. Westland Mushrooms weekly markets many tonnes of fresh and dried mushrooms, of which the largest part are wild and exotic varieties. “Wild mushrooms are like asparagus, they are also seasonal. During the season, asparagus can be found on every menu and in all magazines, the same is true for mushrooms.” During the autumn months, mushrooms are in the spotlight in many magazines.

Westland Mushrooms continues to expand their assortment. They strive for adding a new mushroom to the range every year. Customers of the company often come forward with that demand as well. “In autumn, chefs draw up new menus, and they ask us for something new. They’re familiar with the wild mushroom. They want to make a good impression.” Because the wild mushrooms are grown, the season can be extended, which is positive for the market. “Maitake, Sparassis Crispa, shimeji, eryngii,” Harold sums up some varieties that have been introduced. “These are mushrooms that managed to find their way.” The introduction of new varieties isn’t at the expense of the existing assortment, thanks to the growing sales options for the product. Besides, many varieties are offered in various mixed packagings.

Westland Mushrooms supplies the mushrooms to exporters and domestic wholesalers for catering and retail, who further market the product. Harold explains that mushrooms for exporters are also often a way to be distinctive. “We recently became Skal-certified, because we received more and more requests from the market for organically grown mushrooms,” Harold explains. That trend fits the emergence of eating more consciously. Although that sounds contradictory, it’s more difficult to have a forest certified organic than a cultivation location. For the wild mushroom, this means the entire forest would have to be certified organic, a very difficult task. For the cultivated mushrooms, substrates have to be certified in addition to the cultivation. “That seems like a lot, but it’s necessary. We ensure the entire supply chain works organically, and we are front runners in that,” Harold concludes.

Westland Mushrooms

Harold Schuurmans