'Demand for the organic Portobello is growing steadily'

The organic portobello from Leipzig is gaining in importance at a rapid pace. Following the successful launch of the online platform Portobello.bio and the trade fair appearance at the Nuremberg Biofach, the cooperation behind the East German mushrooms announces the next step. Biopilzhof Leipzig will soon be expanding its current production site. The goal is to cover the supply gap during the winter months.

In 2010, Biopilzhof Leipzigerland started cultivating organic quality mushrooms and over the years it has achieved very high quality standards. In addition to mushrooms, the portobello has become an important pillar of the company, said Florian Pfahler - Managing Director of Biofrische GmbH and exclusive distributor of the Leipzig producer. “We have managed to build a high-quality brand, for which the end user pays a little more, but is guaranteed the highest quality. Compared to conventional portobello, our organic portobello contains significantly less water and is more aromatic. As a result, weight (about 100 grams apiece) and size (about 10 cm) hardly diminish during preparation and the mushroom is very well suited for barbecuing.”

The giant mushrooms are offered in a basket or carton (1-1.5 kg), and in foil on small trays

Successful marketing
The steady rise of the Leipzig portobello has not only to do with the quality, but also to a great extent with the excellent marketing of the cooperation. In 2017, a great (online) advertising campaign was launched: on the one hand, the portobello.bio site was created, where one finds recipes and interesting facts about the portobello. On the other hand, the brand appearance Mushro Meatz (mushroommeatz.de) was created with a clear link to the grilled mushroom scene. Pfahler: "This marketing has gotten very good responses, especially at burger shops and food trucks. We are also very well represented in the specialist trade.”

However, the large range and the steadily growing demand also led to shortages within production. In particular during the winter months, it was no longer enough to cover all the needs. Pfahler: "Normally we are able to meet demand all year round, but the gap over the course of the year would allow us to offer only limited quantities over a certain period of time. But we will double our total production capacity -both for mushrooms and portobello- and the new production will start in a few weeks.”

The eye-catching marketing of the cooperation under the brand name Mushro-Meatz

Organic trade
Biopilzhof Leipzigerland produces mushrooms since 2010, exclusively in air-conditioned rooms and on BioSubstrat. The MUSHRO-MEATZ brand is distributed nationwide via the BioFrische GmbH and the organic products are mainly found in organic supermarkets, organic food stores and at selected retailers. The Biofrische GmbH also markets a wide range of organic goods (including berries and pome fruit). In addition to its headquarters in Berlin, the company has a branch office in Timisoara, Romania. From there primarily wild mushrooms and top fruits are marketed to Germany.

For more information:
bioFrische GmbH 

Web: www.biofrische.de