“Organic mushroom demand continues with substantial increases,” said Kevin Donovan, national sales manager for Phillips Mushroom Farms in Kennett Square, PA. “Consequently we’re pumping up production to fill the demand and we’re promoting the category strongly. As organic production increases, prices compared to conventional products are leveling off, which makes them even more highly desired by consumers.”

He explained that some retailers have been on the organic trend since it was first introduced, and others are just beginning to promote it. He also noted that the expansion in the organic sections of produce departments is highly evident today.

He added that the company’s full line, including its wide variety of organic mushrooms, will be on display at Booth No. 3383 at the upcoming Produce Marketing Association Fresh Summit in Anaheim, CA. Donovan and Mike Commodari, Phillips Mushroom’s customer service representative, will be at the booth to meet and greet customers and prospective customers at the event.

“We will also be featuring and sampling our ‘Phillips Gourmet Fire Roasted Frozen Mushrooms,’“ he said. “The fire-roasted flavor and texture of this product matches that of fresh mushrooms, and the response has been really great since we launched the item at last year’s PMA Fresh Summit.”

Having a strong organic line of mushrooms fits perfectly with Phillips Mushroom Farms’ commitment to sustainability. The company has switched to using recycled PET trays for its mushrooms.

“Between 25 and 50 percent of the trays have already been recycled,” explained Donovan. “As a company we have studied and implemented sustainable practices in every way possible for over 15 years. When we began our organic program we used cardboard trays to make them more sustainable, but we learned that the trays don’t hold up well to moisture.”

The company is also focused on blendability. Donovan said that the topic has created major buzz.

“Besides extending the cost of beef, which continually increases, blended products have lower calories, less fat and higher nutrition,” he said. “It is an amazing concept, and one that has no negatives. People even say that dishes made with blended protein and mushrooms are more flavorful. One person said to me that she made her grandmother’s ‘famous’ meatballs by blending half protein and half mushrooms, and that they were even more delicious than those her grandmother made.”

Although the mushroom industry is experiencing a strong boom at the moment due to all the positive attributes of the product, it’s still faced with the same challenges that are affecting all fresh produce categories today.

“Labor issues are getting worse all the time,” said Donovan. “This is affecting everyone’s plans for future production increases. You can’t increase production if you don’t have labor to harvest the mushrooms. We know that some expansions within the mushroom industry have been put on hold or pushed aside entirely for this reason.”

The rising cost of transportation is also challenging the mushroom industry.

“The cost of composting materials and energy are also skyrocketing,” he added. “Companies are getting to the end of their efficiency outputs — there is just nowhere else to cut. Unfortunately, the result of these problems is that another farm or two will likely be closing in the coming year. That creates a shortage for everyone, and that drives prices higher for consumers.”