Mushrooms are the summer surprise: an increase in consumption

The mushroom season started very interestingly. Despite being an autumn-winter product, both the demand and the consumption were high during the summer months. The climate was very good, and the product aroused more curiosity than expected. These are the thoughts of Marina Sesuru, owner of the Sardinian company Marina Funghi.

Marina told to FreshPlaza, “I do not know if the higher demand was caused by a greater customer differentiation or by the climate itself. However, if we had more mushrooms available, we would have sold them all. We developed a careful plan – considering that the month of August is usually slower in terms of consumption.

The company looks forward to the season with optimism. Firstly, the company opted for a makeover by re-designing the logo. Marina explained, “This is just the first step. We want to stand out and improve on our family's tradition”.

The demand for the Champignon was higher, both the white and the cream coloured varieties. “There is an increase in the consumption of the 'cream' Champignon and we are getting numerous requests for this product. We are extremely happy about this – considering also that it was difficult to put this product on the market, initially. Now, the ‘cream’ Champignon beats even the white one!”

The demand is high for the Cardoncello (Pleurotus Eryngii). “Last year, the demand was mostly oriented towards the growing medium. Now, they ask for a product that's ready for consumption”.

Marina pointed out that production is often lacking at the beginning of the season, resulting in higher prices for the Cardoncello and the Pleurotus Ostreatus. Then, markets start getting saturated and the prices drop. “Generally speaking, we tend to keep stable prices, with very minor oscillations”.