No mushrooms for Christmas? With this catchy question, the Bund Deutscher Champignon- und Kulturpilzanbauer (BDC) drew attention to itself on the occasion of its 74th annual conference in Eindhoven, in late September. The current situation on the energy market poses major challenges for the industry, which could have consequences for the Christmas season.
"The mood among our member companies is worse than ever," said Michael Schattenberg, former BDC chairman, in his speech. Everyday work is increasingly upsetting, he says, because of the many problems facing the companies. "For many, the situation is now threatening their existence," Schattenberg continues. As a result, there could be a supply shortage of fresh mushrooms in just a few weeks, BDC board and advisory council members stressed in Eindhoven on Sept. 29, 2022.
The 74th annual meeting was marked by changes within the board. Hans Deckers (m) was elected as the new chairman of the board, taking over the baton from Michael Schattenberg (r). Dr. Torben Kruse (l) remains Vice Chairman of the Association.
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There are reports of production cutbacks and closures in Germany and neighboring countries. An unpleasant development, and so soon after the already turbulent Covid years. For the mushroom industry, these was a small ray of hope, as many people cooked more at home due to the lockdowns and domestic mushrooms were in demand. But that ray of hope has long since faded.
"After the production increases in the Covid years, we are now seeing big losses, even in the organic segment," the former chairman explains. He also says there is still a lot of room for improvement in store prices. Because although shortages are looming and increased costs are felt on all levels, price increases at the POS have not yet been come back to the producers. It remains to be seen whether the measures adopted by the German government, such as the gas and electricity price ceilings, will ease the situation in the long term. For the BDC, it is clear that only an energy price cap for all energy sources can save the industry from a broad wave of insolvencies.
The participants of the 74th BDC Annual Conference
Mushroom marketing in times of crisis
The crisis is not only causing discontent among companies; consumers have also become more cautious. This creates a dilemma, because right now the industry is dependent on the purchase of domestic mushrooms, king trumpet mushrooms and the like. So what can be done to boost these sales? For Michael Legrand of the Grüne Medienhaus, the key could lie in demand-driven marketing. The Grüne Medienhaus has been in charge of the BDC's consumer campaign for many years, focusing primarily on the enjoyment and positive health aspects of mushrooms.
"Our campaign has also changed during the crisis period," says Legrand. Therefore, he said, it must be all the more important to consider short-term goals now. "One possible solution can be to position mushrooms as an inexpensive, but healthy and fulfilling product next to meat and other, more expensive products in these in times of crisis."
There should also be more education about the current challenges within mushroom cultivation." But how do you get these issues to the consumer? Legrand doesn't think it's necessary to change the approach. "The tone of the campaign should remain authentic, emotional and open." He continues to see the dissemination of mushroom recipes as a key measure. Through these, the restrained purchases can be opened up, as recipes give a direct purchase impulse, like a sales promotion.
Special media services with innovative, vegetarian prescriptions, as well as information about the scarceness of raw materials in the mushroom industry, as they were dispatched in the summer of this yearly by the Grüne Medienhaus, are impressive examples of the marketing approaches of the German cultured mushroom industry in these times of crisis. In order to inspire even our youngest generations regarding domestic mushrooms and their cultivation, the BDC decided to continue the mushroom box action for schools. As of now, schools can apply in the spring and in the fall.
For more information:
der-champignon.de