Phillips Mushroom Farms at the top of its organic game

The demand for organic mushrooms from Kennett Square, PA-based Phillips Mushroom Farms has, on some days, outweighed supply.

“It has gotten to the point that we’re short on organic mushrooms on some days,” said Kevin Donovan, national sales manager for the company. “Our commitment to our organic line remains stronger than ever.”

Kevin Donovan, national sales manager for Phillips Mushroom Farms.Donovan said today the company sees a lot of grocers separating their organic and conventional sections, and building up the organic side tremendously.

“Retailers no longer need impulse shoppers to pick up an organic product that is displayed next to its conventional option and hope for a sale,” explained Donovan.

“Consumers who are dedicated to buying organics want their products to be separated, easy to find and conveniently packaged, which is what Phillips Mushroom Farms provides.”

Phillips Mushroom has a successful history in cultivating mushrooms since 1927, leaving little wonder about how it has remained on the cutting edge of mushroom production and the trends surrounding the industry.

Its strong commitment to the organic category is proven in its ongoing expansion of its organic offerings.

The company launched its new Phillips Mushroom Farms Organic Gourmet Blend at the Organic Produce Summit in July 2017.

“The new Gourmet Blend was immediately met with strong interest, and it continues to draw attention and acceptance by retailers across the nation,” explained Donovan.

“The new Gourmet Blend four-ounce pack combines sliced Baby Bellas, sliced Shitakes and Yellow Oyster mushrooms, giving consumers a mix of their favorite varieties, and in an organic option,” he continued.

Making the new Gourmet Blend even more exciting is that Phillips Mushroom Farms recently obtained its food-safety certification on Yellow Oyster Mushrooms, turning the item into a win-win for customers who want both organic and food-safety certification.

Phillips Mushroom Farms is a strong advocate of the Mushroom Council’s The Blend initiative, which promotes blending mushrooms with proteins. The result is higher nutrition, increased flavor, lower fat and an economic advantage because mushrooms are less expensive than meat proteins. The company is testing a new blended burger at universities. It served the burger to visitors at the PMA Fresh Summit to garner potential interest from retailers.

“The Blend is a win-win for everyone,” stressed Phillips. “The results from the Mushroom Council’s extensive research is being used today to help in marketing mushrooms, and it will continue to be used in the future to benefit not only the mushroom industry, but also health and science.”

Phillips Mushroom Farms is a multi-generation family-owned company that is a leading producer of a full range of both conventional and organic mushrooms. Its new cutting-edge mushroom farm in Warwick, MD, has been completed for over a year. Donovan said the facility is producing smoothly and strongly.

“We’re currently growing white conventional mushrooms at the new facility, but it is organized so that it can also produce organics as the market continues to grow,” he said. “We also have the ability to expand at the new facility when the need arises.”

He pointed out that demand for both organic and conventional mushrooms continues to grow strongly, and he attributes much of the growth to the marketing and promotional efforts put forth by the Mushroom Council in recent years.