Monterey Mushrooms, based in Watsonville, CA, has continued to grow its line of organic white, brown and specialty mushrooms. “And we have other value-added products in testing that we hope to roll out this fall,” said Joe Caldwell, Monterey’s vice president.

“Especially worth noting is the expanded Monterey Logistics group,” he continued. “This division provides outstanding delivery service to our direct customers, but also consolidates LTL freight for other produce companies to improve the effectiveness of deliveries to distribution centers.”

Monterey’s organic mushrooms have expanded to larger size whole and sliced, white and brown and specialty varieties. Caldwell noted that Monterey’s dried mushroom packages are now available in a gusseted stand-up bag, which replaces the previous clam shell packaging.

He noted that organizational changes routinely happen to improve the effectiveness and provide opportunities within the company, saying that a couple of new employees will be introduced individually by late August.

“Mushroom consumption trends continue to grow as more consumers discover the value, versatility and nutrition of fresh mushrooms,” Caldwell explained. “Fresh mushroom volumes and sales have grown consistently over the past five years and show no sign of slowing down. As celebrity chefs highlight the flavor and versatility of mushrooms on cooking shows, consumers are buying more Portabellas, specialty mushrooms and organic mushrooms that they see featured.”

He added that the 100 percent vitamin D mushrooms have the total daily need for the vitamin in one serving.

“This is a very important feature as doctors and researchers discover more benefits of this important vitamin than just healthy bones,” said Caldwell. “Blendability, the industry’s buzzword for blending mushrooms with ground meat, is exploding in popularity. More restaurants are starting to feature this concept, which enhances flavor and moisture of burgers, meatballs, tacos and other dishes that are made with ground meat. At the same time the dishes are slashing fat, calories and sodium. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is especially bullish on this concept for school lunches, which will drive growth among the youth.”

He said that organic mushrooms are showing the strongest growth trend of any sub-category, and that Monterey is currently expanding its capacity of certified-organic mushrooms in order to supply this growth.

And Monterey Mushrooms has grasped the sustainability movement with intent. Its farms recycle raw waste materials and it reuses virtually all of its water. It sells its waste compost to other farmers as an organic supplement and it invests heavily in energy conservation measures.

“We have sought to eliminate plastic Styrofoam trays that were the industry standard,” said Caldwell. “We have converted 80 percent of our retail packaging to biodegradable, sustainable packaging.”

He said that in Monterey Mushrooms’ view, the U.S. economy is the best in the world, but it is still affected by outside factors.

“We know that energy and raw material supplies are limited and those costs will likely climb,” he said. “Even more, the labor climate will lead to increased costs that will likely squeeze the already-thin margins. Mushroom growers that are not high-efficiency performers will likely be forced out of business, as has happened to many good growers over the past few years.

Caldwell also noted that energy and raw material supplies and costs are one common issue. Food safety is a highly visible issue, and the mushroom industry collaborates with other producers. Labor availability and costs are particular concerns for mushrooms since all fresh market quality mushrooms must be hand-picked.

Monterey supports the Mushroom Council’s “Top It or Swap It” campaign in all ways possible, including through social media links. It also participates strongly in the Mushrooms for Breast Cancer Awareness with featured packaging noting the industry’s contributions to the City of Hope Cancer Research Center.

“Fresh mushroom sales have been on a consistent upward trend for the past five years, and we expect it to continue,” said Caldwell. “It is our full expectation that every year will be a new record year for sales due to the increased knowledge of value, versatility and nutrition of fresh mushrooms.”