"King oyster demand have grows incredibly"

About 59.000 tons of mushrooms have been harvested in 2014, according to the Federal Statistical Office of Germany. 98% of these are of the common mushroom variety, the other 2% are edible mushrooms such as shiitake and oyster mushrooms. A pioneer and known in the German mushroom market is the company FRIHOL (Champignonvertriebs GmbH). "The demand for edible mushrooms keeps on growing", says Gerhard Frietsch, managing director of FRIHOL. The image of edible mushrooms is an important reason for the increase in demand. “Mushrooms are very healthy”, says the businessman from Baden-Württemberg. They have become a part of a modern and healthy diet. “And mushrooms are often a favourite item for special offers in supermarkets. Fresh mushrooms can beat many other products as a sale item.”

Specialist in fresh and dried mushroom trade
The company sells their product through German supermarkets under the brand name FRIHOL. “We are the specialist in fresh and dried mushroom trade,” explains Frietsch, “And our top products are the common mushroom and the chestnut mushroom”. As a trade specialist FRIHOL does not produce the mushrooms, but obtains them through Green Mushroom Farm BV and sixteen other mushroom farms, from the Netherlands, Germany and Poland. Green Mushroom Farm BV is a subsidiary company of Green Co. and is responsible for importing edible mushrooms from South Korea.

A German mushroom farm in the future
Recently Green Co. acquired shares in FRIHOL. With about 20 percent of the shares the Asian company has secured a future in the German mushroom distribution and sales. "We have been working together for some time with Green Co. and we are pleased to continue to cooperate closely," Gerhard Frietsch proudly proclaims. In future, his German company plans to build a large mushroom farm in Germany together with its partners. "However, we are just in an intensive planning phase now," says Gerhard Frietsch.

King oyster mushrooms are trendy
Frietsch is aware of a recent change in the customers demand for king oyster mushrooms. “King oyster mushrooms are a more exotic, edible mushroom and their demand has risen sharply. Consumers aren’t afraid to use king oyster mushrooms in their recipes, since they look a lot like porcini. The king oyster mushrooms are characterized by their firm body and their great taste.”

A wide range of cultivated mushrooms
FRIHOL’s cultivated mushrooms are the whole year round available. The FRIHOL range includes common mushrooms and chestnut mushrooms, king oyster mushrooms and the "Korea-range" with Shimeiji- and enoki mushrooms. Of course, organically farmed common mushrooms and chestnut mushrooms are part of the range too. Furthermore can FRIHOL offer their customers the domestic chanterelle (giroles) and porcini mushrooms during the season.

Gerhard Frietsch
Frihol Champignonvertriebs GmbH
Böschstraße 12, 77815 Bühl-Oberbruch
Tel. +49 (0)7223-98480
gerhard.frietsch@frihol.de
www.frihol.de