The current mushroom market situation varies per product. That's according to Diederick Knijnenburg of Oakfield Champignons in the Netherlands. "There are too many chestnut mushrooms at the moment. So, those prices are under considerable pressure. White mushrooms are selling well, as are special mushrooms."
"It seems that too much chestnut mushroom compost was produced. The compost supplier, therefore, asked all the growers to use more of this. That led to the oversupply of these mushrooms on the market. The sales, however, seem to be recovering this week. They should be running completely smoothly by Easter."
"Easter always guarantees peak mushroom sales. But, it does depend on how early or late Easter is in the year. Last year, Easter fell later, and there were more asparagus and strawberries on the market. That meant shoppers sometimes forgot about buying mushrooms. This year, mushrooms are more in demand in the run-up to Easter. Sales often drop again after Easter. That's as soon as there are more asparagus on the market. Then people prefer seasonal products again," says Diederick.
"We've gotten quite a lot of demand from England and Ireland in recent weeks. People still know us there - it used to be our sole market. However, for the past six years, that stopped almost entirely," admits Knijnenburg. "That was increasingly becoming a price market. We want to compete on expertise, not price. Brexit has created lots of paperwork and has pushed up logistics costs. So, perhaps more exporters are thinking this way."
"The COVID-19 pandemic has meant sales to supermarkets have generally continued well. The hospitality industry is almost at a standstill. But quite a few mushrooms still find their way to pizzerias and shawarma restaurants. In France, white mushrooms or 'champignon de Paris' are currently still the most popular variety."
"However, in other countries, chestnut mushroom sales are growing faster than those of white mushrooms. In the Netherlands and Germany, exotic mushrooms are also gaining popularity. And in Germany, in particular, the demand for the organic range is rising too," concludes Diederick.
For more information:
Diederick Knijnenburg
Oakfield Champignons
1 Locht Street
6039 RV Stramproy, NL
Tel: +31 (0) 495 564 113
Email: sales@oakfield.nl
Website: www.oakfield.nl