Fred Recchiuti, general manager of Basciani Foods Inc, also commonly referred to as Basciani Mushrooms, headquartered in Avondale, PA, told The Produce News that the company recently launched a new website, bascianifoods.com.

The highly graphic and colorful site offers trade and consumer links that describe the company and its product line in full.

It also features a four-minute video segment that was part of an “Epicurious,” episode, which is a Condé Nast production.

Michael Gagel and Ed Casel, both major account representatives for the company, will be at Booth No.129, to meet and greet customers at the upcoming PMA Foodservice Conference & Expo in Monterey, CA, on July 25-27.

Gagel and Casel will also be promoting Basciani’s logistics’ division. This company cross-docks and provides transportation for other companies.

Recchiuti explained that the company is strongly focused on the foodservice sector.

“About 95 percent of our business is in foodservice,” he said. “We have a widely diverse restaurant customer profile that spans everything from high-end, white tablecloth, family style chain restaurants, quick serve and fast food chains. We sell to processors, a growing number of which are embracing the Mushroom Council’s ‘Blend it and Top it’ campaign. We strongly promote this movement, which encourages processors to develop food products that are a combination of mushrooms and protein items like meatballs and meatloaves, as examples.”

He added that consumers are demanding more mushrooms in both blended and fresh mushrooms because of the growing awareness of the superfood qualities. He also feels the growing demand at the foodservice level could be due at least in part to the easing economy, which is encouraging people to eat out more often.

Michael Basciani, the company president, said there aren’t too many companies like Basciani Foods, even among the mushroom-growing families in the Kennett Square area of Pennsylvania, which is where the majority of mushrooms are produced.

“We are one of the few, if not the only, fourth-generation mushroom farmers in the country,” Basciani said. “Not many make it that long.”

In addition to Michael Basciani, his brothers Richard and Mario also operate the company. And the company has a strong forthcoming family to insure that it continues in the future.

The next generation is now 30 strong, with more on the way. Basciani noted that while some companies are wondering where their mushrooms will be coming from in the future, the Basciani family is growing its own future with its large family.

The company’s goal since it began has been to consistently deliver the finest quality fresh mushrooms to its customers.

“And we do this with the most intense focus on lightning-fast service,” said Recchiuti. “This focus on quality and service is legendary among our long-time customers. We now grow, pack and ship over a million pounds per week of every variety of mushrooms available.”

Basciani Foods ships to all areas across North America. Besides its Pennsylvania facility, it has distribution centers in Chicago, Minneapolis, MN, Independence, LA, and Orlando, FL, to quickly service customers in every region.