This year's mushroom market is very tumultuous, notes Maurice Koppen of the Dutch company Oakfield Champignons. "Growers' energy costs - depending on their contracts - increased sharply. But so did energy costs at raw material suppliers, who've pushed up their prices significantly. Minimum wages are to rise ten percent on January 1, 2023, so labor costs, too, are going to shoot up. All of that greatly affect the sector's sentiment."
"Quite a few mushroom growers have thus stopped or have decided to produce less. More are expected to do so, too. That, in turn, has led to less supply and, in some cases, severe market shortages. Also, countries like Poland have scaled back their production substantially. It's going to be quite a job to find a balance in the market again to cover the increased energy, raw materials, and wage costs," says Maurice.
"Price hikes are inevitable, yet consumers have less to spend. Fortunately, from the summer onward, demand has continued well. Not only for white and chestnut mushrooms but for the more exotic kinds too. The only varieties not doing so well are organic white and chestnut mushrooms. Those experienced a boom during the pandemic lockdowns but are struggling now. It's the same throughout Europe," the grower explains.
Oakfield is focusing more on growing organic exotic mushrooms and recently expanded its assortment to include Pom Pom Blanc, Maitake and yellow Oyster mushrooms. "There's a growing demand from our customers for these exotics. Something like Royal Oyster mushrooms is increasingly considered a meat alternative, and that's where the biggest 'uplift' is. Meat producers also recognize this, and we're in talks with many players who want to get into this."
Mushroom demand is usually somewhat lower in the summer. In response to this, Oakfield held a Mushroom Summer Challenge this year. "We challenged chefs and influencers to make summer dishes using mushrooms. That caught on well, and we've had great responses," Maurice concludes.
For more information:
Maurice Koppen
Oakfield Champignons
1 Locht Street
6039 RV, Stramproy, NL
Tel: +31 (0) 495 564 113
Email: maurice@oakfield.nl
Website: www.oakfield.nl