“We are working with many of our retail and foodservice partners on end-of-summer Portabella promotions,” Pete Wilder, marketing director for To-Jo Mushroom Inc. in Avondale, PA, said on July 25. “We have seen some lift in that segment over the summer and are looking for one last push with some aggressive promotional schedules.”

Wilder also noted that the company continues to see interest in its chopped mushroom varieties from its foodservice operation side as the “Trend to Blend” initiative continues to gather momentum.

“With the rising cost of beef becoming a challenge for many foodservice operators, mushrooms can be used as a great way to stretch food costs,” he said.

Mushroom sales, Wilder added, are still trending in a positive way through the first two quarters of 2014.

“And this is in both dollar and pound sales,” he said. “We are seeing 3 to 4 percent increases over the previous year.”

The locally grown momentum is still hot and growing, and he said that mushrooms fit in really well with that trend.

“Our products are delivered fresh to our customers within 24 hours of harvest, and many are promoting our local relationship with new in-store merchandising programs and displays,” he explained. “To-Jo is an active partner and we enjoy working closely with our customers to drive category sales and increase our customers’ bottom lines. Local is a great way to accomplish this goal.”

Mushrooms, he added, are everywhere today. The Mushroom Council in conjunction with the American Mushroom Institute and companies like To-Jo are getting more impressions across various media and social platforms than ever.

“The bloggers are taking notice, Washington, DC, recently highlighted ‘Blendability’ in a U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee hearing on school lunches, and Michelle Obama sang our praises in a Twitter party,” said Wilder. “The buzz is really on with over 5 million social media impressions in June alone.

“A number of our retailers are participating in the program and have seen growth in Portabella sales due to increased promotional efforts surrounding the campaign,” he added.

To-Jo Mushrooms is a fourth-generation grower and shipper of fresh and prepared mushrooms for both the foodservice and retail industries. The company grows over 50 million pounds of white, brown and specialty mushrooms annually, and it distributes its full line of fresh mushroom products to over 22 states by its company-owned fleet of vehicles. To-Jo’s value-added lines of processed products are distributed nationally through a wide network of distribution partners.

The company sells to a variety of chain operators and foodservice distributors that make up between 30 and 35 percent of its business. It ships to foodservice customers across the United States and Canada, as well as into Western Europe, all on a regular basis.