The wild mushroom season is about to start in Spain with the first batches arriving from the Pyrenean areas. Due to the dry weather and abundant fires this summer in several areas of the country, there are some uncertainties regarding the product's supply throughout the campaign, in which higher prices are expected compared to last season.
"Although there is already production from Romania in the markets, Spanish products, which have a higher reputation in terms of quality, will soon start to enter the markets. We see that, as every year, the markets are eager to start with the Spanish wild mushroom," says Fernando Serra, Fresh Manager of the company Laumont, specialized for more than 42 years in the sale of mushrooms.
"It has been a year with little rainfall in Spain and the forests are drier than usual, so we are waiting for rain to activate the production. This summer has been drier, and it has been so hot, there have been more fires, as in Zamora, where hardly any production is expected."
"However, we have good prospects for the production in Berga, in the north of the province of Barcelona, near the Pyrenees, where there has been more rain than in other areas. The fact is that wild mushrooms depend 100% on the weather. Here lies the value of this product. A tight control of the cold chain also plays a fundamental role," adds Fernando Serra.
Unlike cultivated mushrooms, which Laumont also markets, wild mushrooms do not experience similarly high cost increases. "Cultivated mushrooms have to deal with cost increases, including those of energy, workers' wages or transportation, so profit margins have tightened. With wild mushrooms, no energy is used and the pickers are not salaried workers, but rather independent workers who collaborate with companies such as Laumont, who buy the mushrooms harvested daily at origin. Also, wild mushrooms have higher added value and therefore reach higher prices compared to cultivated mushrooms."
"Consequently, we believe that, in the current inflationary context, the price will not have that much of an impact on mushroom consumption, as generally, the product is bought by consumers with high purchasing power and will continue to buy the product, even if the price increases a little. So far, the price increases have been accepted by our customers. It looks like we will have a wild mushroom season without much supply and with a higher price than other years," he said.
Laumont distributes around 40 different varieties in different sizes and formats, focusing mainly on the domestic market and exporting approximately 30% of its production. It should be noted that during the years of the pandemic, the company launched an app to ensure the traceability of wild mushrooms and track them from the moment they were picked, making it possible to know at all times who has picked each kilo of mushrooms. "In this way, in case of any incident, we can always contact our picker and guarantee some quality standards. The pandemic gave us a lot of free time to innovate. In fact, we also launched a website to be able to sell the product directly to consumers," said Fernando.
The company has achieved tremendous growth in recent years. "Five years ago, we had a turnover of less than 15 million Euro, while last season was closed with more than 30 million Euro. We have more and more loyal customers. While some repeat their purchases, others continue to increase them."
For more information:
Fernando Serra
LAUMONT
M:+34 615361123
[email protected]
www.laumont.es
