The demand for exotic mushrooms in Canada has seen a recent increase. "Over the last six months, we've seen our sales drastically improve," says Steven Rotiroti, co-owner of Holburne Mushroom Farm Limited in Queensville, Ontario, adding that he thinks it's reflective of an improvement in the economic outlook.
Historically, on mushrooms as a commodity, exotics have been a small part of national mushroom sales–less than two percent. "However it's shown year-over-year growth since we started in 2005," he says, adding that before then, the company grew more common types of mushrooms such as button and white.
L-R: Steven Rotiroti; Paolo Furlano, Rotiroti's grandfather and company founder; Tonia Hebert, Rotiroti's aunt and company co-owner
Notably, Rotiroti says it was selling more volume in exotic mushrooms–namely shiitake and oyster–two years ago than it is today. He believes that the post-COVID market which has seen higher interest rates, greater inflation, and other economic challenges have put a strain on consumer's wallets that have impacted exotic mushroom sales. (That said, demand continued from less price-conscious consumers.)
In that time when sales had softened for exotic mushrooms, the company reviewed its business and decided to begin growing a number of other types of varieties of exotic mushrooms along with shiitake, its primary exotic from the start. Today, its roster includes Lion's mane, Chestnut mushrooms, Black Oyster, and King Oyster mushrooms. "These new varieties have significantly helped us move forward in these last six to 10 months," says Rotiroti, adding that the company ships across Canada and through a third-party company into the U.S.
Concerns over substrate
However, while the expansion of products is a positive development for the company, there are industry concerns for Canadian mushroom producers. "The influx of ready-to-use substrate imported from China and grown out at Canadian farms has created a significant challenge for producers like us, who use 100 percent Canadian-made substrate derived from local agricultural byproducts. These imported substrates allow producers to label their mushrooms as "Product of Canada," which makes it difficult to compete on price," says Rotiroti. "It's a priority for me to educate both retailers and consumers about this issue. In times like these, it's more important than ever to support Canadian agriculture. By choosing locally sourced products, we can help strengthen our economy and promote sustainability."
Even pricing on exotic mushrooms
As for pricing on its mushrooms, it's stayed stable. "Sometimes it moves with supply and demand so if you're severely overstocked and you have to move product, like everyone in produce, you drop the price a bit," he says.
Looking ahead, the company anticipates demand continuing to strengthen–particularly on varieties such as Lion's mane, an item that's seen its popularity grow on social media. Exotic mushrooms also continue gaining ground outside their historically strong retail setting–Asian and Eastern European grocery stores.
For more information:
Steven Rotiroti
Holburne Mushroom Farm Limited
Tel: +1 (905) 478-4556
https://www.holburnemushroom.ca/