Despite the challenging conditions and rising costs in mushroom cultivation, Ramazan Gülnar, a mushroom wholesaler from Paris Direkt Ltd, reflects on a successful year 2023. Not only was a sales growth of 27 percent achieved, but the product range was also further expanded. "We can now deliver around 50 dry products, including truffle products. In addition, we also supply the corresponding displays for a successful secondary placement, whether made of cardboard or wood."
For a year now, the Münster-based company has been successfully working with Edeka Food Service. Gülnar: "In addition to our dried mushrooms, we are now also able to supply this sales channel with fresh mushrooms. We deliver ourselves between Mannheim and Hamburg, and for the delivery of the remaining delivery areas, we have entered into strategic partnerships with two large distributors."
Excerpt from the wide range of fresh products from Paris Direkt Ltd.
Rising demand for gourmet mushrooms
Even in times of inflation, cultivated mushrooms continue to be on the rise, Gülnar reports. "In terms of price-performance, cultivated mushrooms perform very well comparatively. Gourmet mushrooms, whether fresh or dried, have been able to firmly establish themselves as a meat substitute. Therefore, we see a rising demand for our products. Only with the exotic varieties, such as Royal Chestnut, there has been a slight decrease, which is not only due to the lower demand but also to the difficult logistics."
Chanterelles from Estonia in wooden box and in a crate.
However, the increase is not only reserved for the gourmet mushroom segment, according to Gülnar. Even with wild mushrooms, they look back on a strong sales year. Due to heat-related shortages in the Balkan region, the company is now increasingly relying on Northern Europe for the procurement of chanterelles. "In Estonia, a relatively new sourcing country, there were plenty of quantities from July to the end of October and the chanterelles from there were very well received in Germany. Interestingly, this year we were also able to make full use of Lithuania and the Balkan countries. Overall, it was the best chanterelle campaign I have experienced in years."
However, a different picture was shown with the autumn porcini mushrooms, Gülnar continues. "In Bulgaria, where we have had our own packing operation for years, there was a very difficult porcini mushroom campaign. But it must be said that we were able to obtain plenty of quantities from Poland instead."
Dry products from Paris Direkt.
Capacity expansion at the headquarters
A capacity expansion of the headquarters in Münster-Roxel had been planned for several years. "We even considered moving, but we have now been able to rent a hall in the immediate vicinity of our headquarters. However, we want to wait and see how our company develops. Therefore, 2024 will be an interesting bridging year for us. Given the cost increases and personnel problems in the mushroom industry, we are likely facing another challenging year. Nevertheless, we have been able to manage everything so far and I am confident that this will also be the case this year", Gülnar concludes.
Photos: Paris Direkt GmbH
For more information:
Ramazan Gülnar
Paris Direkt GmbH
Lise-Meitner Straße 7b
48161 Münster
Tel 02534 977540
Fax 02534 977541
info@paris-direkt.net
www.paris-direkt.net