Fall is approaching, and the first wild mushroom harvests are already underway in some areas of Spain. The weather has been favorable, and the outlook is good. Dried and fresh mushrooms have been losing ground to frozen mushrooms due to their being easier to supply and having a long shelf life. Deep-frozen mushrooms have become a regular part of many consumers' diets.
"After the rainfall and the hot days alternating with cold nights, there is the prospect of a good season in terms of both quantity and quality. Every year is different, but this time we can say that the rain, the heat, and the cold will allow us to have a good season," says Isaac Petràs, manager of Bolets Petràs.
© Bolets Petràs
"Climate change is having a clear influence. We used to harvest in 13 countries and now we work in 32. We seek the best mushrooms, of all types, in more territories because the more intense heat is doing a lot of damage, making pests stronger and causing the mushrooms to lose quality, so there is no choice but to broaden our horizons and harvest in more places," says the manager.
Apart from Europe, "we are also harvesting in other continents, such as Asia, and our company is partly devoted to greenhouse cultivation of mushrooms or shiitake, for example."
Market trends have set us on a very clear path of diversification with deep-frozen mushrooms. This makes us more competitive in terms of quality, as frozen mushrooms retain their flavor and quality properties after the harvest," says Petràs.
© Bolets Petràs
"Our main task is harvesting the mushrooms in fields and forests all over the world and then freezing them. In this way, we can supply supermarket chains regardless of the weather conditions. To this end, we have opened a work center in Romania, which serves as a base for distribution to many countries," says Petràs.
Given that they harvest in fields and forests, one might think that they sell "a product worthy of an organic label, but this is not the case. We work with mushrooms as a conventional product, even though they are harvested in the wild."
© Bolets Petràs
According to the manager, "labor is a key factor, because it needs to be highly specialized. Simply finding the mushrooms is already a challenge, but the way they are cut and preserved immediately afterwards also requires knowing the right techniques."
The market for deep-frozen mushrooms is on the rise, and being able to supply them in this format ensures stability in sales during the season. We also work with fresh or dried mushrooms. In all its formats, it is a product that is highly appreciated by the hotel and catering industry and by end consumers."
Although it might seem easy to work in this sector, "there's always plenty of supply available, but we have decided to continue in the spirit of our grandfather, who was committed to quality and differentiation through flavor, consistency, and a direct relationship with the client. To maintain this quality, we have to travel a lot and monitor the mushroom picking all over the world, but this is something that we are valued for, and we want to continue on this path," says the manager.
Bolets Petràs specializes in all varieties of dried, fresh, and deep-frozen mushrooms, especially wild mushrooms from Spain.
For more information:
Isaac Petràs
Bolets Petràs
Tel.: +34 639 70 07 69
[email protected]
www.boletspetras.com
