Demand has softened somewhat for mushrooms.
“It’s fallen off. Before Thanksgiving, I had a lot of people calling me for product who I do not normally sell to. But after Thanksgiving, it’s been pretty quiet,” says Brenda Barney of Mountain View Mushrooms in Fillmore, UT.
Barney does note that demand this season felt stronger for mushrooms than demand last year.
In turn, supplies have been ample on white and cremini mushrooms. However, it’s a different story on oyster and shitake mushrooms. “It’s been hard to get the growing supplies for the oyster and shiitake and difficult to source them from other growers as well,” says Barney. “It started in the fall and has continued since then.”
Stronger pricing
That said, the pricing of mushrooms has gone up. “The costs of fuel and packaging have really gone up. We did a price increase in October, and I anticipate another one in the spring if packaging continues to increase,” said Barney.
Looking ahead, it’s anticipated that supplies will stay strong for mushrooms. “Currently, the demand seems pretty normal. I do not think there will be a huge holiday shortage,” she says noting that in Mountain View’s area, Thanksgiving tends to be more of a retail holiday while Christmas through to January sees more foodservice demand. “Also, since we supply ski areas, after Christmas through February continues to be a heavy demand time for us.”
For more information:
Brenda Barney
Mountain View Mushrooms
Tel: +1 (435) 767-0050
brenda@mountainviewmushrooms.com
www.mountainviewmushrooms.com