Purveyors of wild mushrooms in the western United States and Canada are considering the possibility of a strong spring mushroom season. Although it is too early to accurately predict, it has been noted that Morel mushrooms thrive in post-fire conditions. This will be good news for suppliers who had a lackluster Fall season.
"We're currently in between seasons for wild mushrooms," said Don Heidema of Emperor Specialty Foods. "Winter mushrooms such as Hedgehogs have basically finished for the year and we're about to start the Morel season at the end of April. The soil nutrients from burned and rotting trees are a perfect medium for the morel mushrooms. As we had a number of significant fires in Oregon, Washington and California last year, the hope is that we will have a good season this spring. However, wild mushrooms are highly dependent on the weather and it is too early to predict with any great certainty."
"The season for Chanterelle mushrooms has been starting later and later over the past years," he continued. "Five or six years ago we would see Chanterelles showing up in early September and finishing in mid-November. Last season the first Chanterelles did not hit retail until mid-October but were still on store shelves into the middle of December."
Good opportunity for exports to Europe, Asia
Wild mushroom suppliers in North America are well positioned for exports to Europe and Asia. Although Europe has their own mature mushroom market, the North American season tends to extend later than Europe, providing opportunities to enter that market. "We export fresh mushrooms to Europe as their season comes to a close," Heidema said. "So we have that window at the end of October into December due to our season finishing later than in Europe."
"Some suppliers also export Matsutake mushrooms, or Pine Mushrooms, to Japan," he added. "These are aimed at the higher end market and can attract very high prices, however it is also rather volatile."
Heidema noted though that Chinese production of Morel mushrooms has been impacting on the wild mushroom market. "China has been able to somehow find a way to cultivate morel mushrooms," he explained. "They have been exporting for around 3-4 years now and have massive morel mushroom farms. Their prices have been quite high so far, limiting the volumes they can export but there is growing concern by the wild mushroom industry that with increased volumes, pricing will begin to drop and have a major impact on the wild mushroom market. Also the season for wild morels is very short (April – June) where the harvest Chinese Morels are available for 6 months or more."
Price still a limiting factor in North American market
In the North American domestic market, demand for wild mushrooms is steady for the most part. Some specialty varieties are beginning to get into the market, however high prices are keeping a lid on growth, both in the retail and foodservice sectors.
"A good amount of Chantarelles are sold to Costco stores across the US, and to smaller grocery stores," Heidema explained. "Costco stores tend to favor the 1lb packs while we often sell 100g packs to the smaller retailers."
"We are starting to see some demand for more specialty varieties," he continued. "But they are mainly restricted to specialty retailers and are priced are on the higher end, which is a limiting factor. The same goes for foodservice, where there is some demand depending on the price point. Morels, for example, can sell anywhere between $12.00 and $30.00, as supply is so highly dependent on weather conditions."
For more information:
Don Heidema
Emperor Specialty Foods
Tel: +1 (604) 276-0035