Since the beginning of the year, Champignon Bruxelles has made a fresh start. The company, formerly known as Micro Flavours, had to close its doors in 2024 due to an increasingly challenging Belgian business climate. Under the new name, Dario Vunckx is once again growing and selling mushrooms beneath the historic wholesale market Abattoir in Brussels. "We were perhaps too ambitious too quickly, which meant we lost sight of ourselves. We still believe in our concept, only now with a more realistic approach," he says.
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Champignon Bruxelles is charting a new course by choosing specialisation. "At the end of 2023, we were experiencing tremendous growth," Dario explains. "With Micro Flavours, we were buying and selling salads, edible flowers, and growing micro-vegetables and mushrooms. We delivered directly to several wholesalers and many catering customers throughout Belgium. Unfortunately, at some point, this became extremely difficult. The business environment in Belgium has become very tough. Getting loans is nearly impossible if you lack substantial collateral. We had already used everything available to us, so we could not get any additional credit. We stopped in September last year and started again in May this year."
Champignon Bruxelles came back to life. "Microgreens and edible flowers were put on hold, and mushrooms became the main focus. We took over the facilities from another nursery, and that has worked well. The name Champignon Bruxelles was quickly chosen because we had previously acquired this company with Micro Flavours, so it was already known in the sector. We now mainly supply wholesalers, no longer directly to restaurants or retail. Logistics costs were too high, and finding suitable staff proved very difficult. Our team became smaller: one person from the old team and a few new, flexible, mostly seasonal workers."
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Step by step
"In terms of cultivation, we use substrate from the Netherlands for the mushrooms. It is placed in racks for four days in complete mist and high humidity. Then we can begin harvesting. Everything is still done manually. Each 2.5-kilo block is inspected daily, and the mushrooms are sorted by size. This was highly valued by our existing customers and still allows us to guarantee the same quality."
For now, the focus remains on oyster mushrooms and shiitakes. "These accounted for about 60 per cent of last year's volume. We also expect to reintroduce the grey oyster mushroom and eryngii at the beginning of 2026. The beech mushroom is also planned. We want to bring these back to the market through our current channels. So we are expanding again, step by step. Demand for mushrooms is, and remains, strong, especially now that autumn has arrived. In Belgium, colder weather encourages people to cook hot dishes again, and demand rises automatically. Sales have never been a concern for us, but our organisation must be fully in order."
© Rebekka Boekhout | FreshPlaza.comThe tunnels under the wholesale market in Anderlecht, where the mushrooms are grown
Taking a different approach
So does Dario still see a future in urban farming? "Urban farming remains interesting for us, but it is becoming increasingly challenging. Years ago, it was marketed as if it were the Egg of Columbus, but truly innovative indoor farming or aquaponics remains difficult to make profitable. When I started seven years ago, there were 12 active players in Brussels; now there are only two or three. Many have stopped or gone bankrupt, partly due to the difficult business climate and lack of funding. Traditional agriculture has not been standing still either in terms of innovation and automation."
"Still, it has brought something valuable. People have become more aware of local production. I also definitely believe it can work, provided we approach it differently than before. Not too broad anymore, but specialised. We deliberately choose not to do everything ourselves. No more cutting or packaging, no more direct catering deliveries, but a focus on specific products and a few strong partners. We do a lot more ourselves now, but in a better balance than before. We still believe in our concept, only now with a more realistic approach in a unique location in Brussels."
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For more information:
Dario Vunckx
Champignon Bruxelles
[email protected]
www.lechampignondebruxelles.be
