Flavor, value and service are key issues in the foodservice industry, and companies that offer these attributes are those that stay in high demand in the segment.

To-Jo Mushrooms in Avondale, PA, offers these and other important components.

A savory burger featuring To-Jo fresh mushrooms.The company, a leading mushroom producer, will be promoting its full line of mushroom items at the upcoming PMA Foodservice Conference & Expo on July 24-26, at the Monterey Conference Center in Monterey, CA.

Pete Wilder, marketing director, said this year’s attendees to the event can see To-Jo’s line of bulk, specialty, foraged fresh and value-added line of quick blanched offerings at Booth No. 30.

“To-Jo ships its value-added products across North America and into Europe through a wide network of distribution partners,” said Wilder. “Domestically, To-Jo Fresh is shipped from upstate New York to Florida, and into the Midwest on our own fleet of refrigerated vehicles.”

In addition to Wilder, Tony D’Amico, company president, and Joseph D’Amico, Jr., vice president, will be at the company’s booth to greet and meet with visitors.

“To-Jo’s business is currently comprised of 65 percent retail and 35 percent foodservice,” said Wilder. “We serve a broad range of customers in the quick serve, fast casual and family dining categories. Our five-count, three-pound ‘Signature Sautee’ product offers quick serve operators a ready-to-heat, fully prepared, domestically produced item with almost zero shrink and a six-month refrigerated shelf life.”

The company also supplies the wholesale and broad-liner market with a full line of fresh products to meet their customer’s needs.

Items such as its three-pound portabella caps have been selling well through the summer grilling season along with its three-pound exotic blend.

Wilder also pointed out that the company is seeing an increase in demand for mushrooms across many dining platforms.

“This is particularly true in breakfast offerings,” he said. “Overall menu penetration for mushrooms is at an all-time high, reaching close to 85 percent, and the Mushroom Council’s promotion behind ‘The Blend’ has really caught the attention of many foodservice operators helping to lift the category this summer.”

“The Blend” is an initiative developed by the Mushroom Council calling for a portion of meat protein to be replaced with mushrooms.

Blending reduces fat and cholesterol, increases the item’s nutritional value and also saves operators money as the cost of mushrooms is less than meat proteins.

To-Jo, he added, will also be promoting “The Blend” to all foodservice distributers and national chain accounts that are looking for ways to cut costs.

“At the same time they will build a better burger by blending meat with mushrooms to create delicious, nutritious and sustainable products for their customers,” said Wilder. 

“This can be done in the back of the house with To-Jo’s four-count, 80-ounce chopped or sliced mushrooms, or through a range of available commercialized products,” he continued.

This includes the company’s 5.3-ounce “Harvest Value Savory Burger,” which is offered exclusively through US Foods.

US Foods is a leading distributor servicing restaurants, healthcare, hospitality, government and educational institutions.