"Oyster mushroom sales are growing at the moment, with great demand especially from wholesale markets," reports Raffaella Lucato of Società Agricola Mancon in Loreggia (Padua), which specialises in the cultivation of this type of mushroom.
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"The growth in demand for mushrooms in general, and not just for Oyster mushrooms, has been constant for a few years now, which means that producer companies must increasingly specialise and get organised. In our case, the main sales channels are the wholesale markets throughout Italy. However, we also have relationships with some big retail chains and with the H&R sector. On a wholesale level, the preferred packaging is wooden crates, while the big retail trade focuses on trays."
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"The cultivation of Oyster mushrooms runs from September to April. This is when you get the best quality. In the colder months, it is compulsory to heat the cultivation rooms and, for this reason, special attention must always be paid to energy costs: many producers have organised themselves with photovoltaic panels or biomass heating, so as to keep expenses down."
In this period, mushroom sales are high, and prices are also good: "The price of oyster mushrooms is good and almost constant throughout the production season. At most, some small increases may occur at times of peak demand, which often coincide with periods of higher production costs (such as energy costs, ed), but these are always in the order of minor fluctuations. It is good that mushrooms have been increasingly at the centre of consumer purchases for a few years now."
In this regard, Raffaella Lucato was the contact person in Italy for the 'Europea Mushroom' project on behalf of Associazione Italiana Fungicoltori, of which she is a very active member. "It was a wonderful experience, involving 9 European countries. The target group of the project was young consumers under-30, and we shared many different experiences and habits. Young people have an edge and must be given more value, also because they are the consumers of the future, as well as of the present."
For more information 
Società agricola Mancon
Via Boscalto Est, 30/b
35010 Loreggia (PD)
[email protected]
www.mancon-sa.it
