After a long collaboration with regional mushroom breeders, wholesaler Peter Hein decided to change his business model in 2011. The aim was to make Bavarian mushrooms more well-known and popular among the end consumers with an exclusive quality label and participation of the food retailers.
Nowadays the 'Schammerl' are back at the top, and so is marketing collective Bayerische Pilzbörse. Hein remains modest: “We did not expect it to become this big."
The successful mushroom wholesaler again explains the quality brand launched in 2011 again. ''Schwammerl is Bavarian for mushrooms. These are pure regional goods with a special sign: GQB. That means certified quality from Bavaria.'' Together with the retailers and two large, regional producers, these regional goods were reintroduced. Hein: "The sales of the Bavarian mushrooms have increased explosively since then. From about 50 to 1500 tons per year. Apparently, people prefer goods from their own region or from nearby. The label is relatively exclusive. This means that only two growers will market mushrooms with it”
White mushrooms with the quality label are very popular at Christmas
From champignon to truffles
Apart from the regional mushrooms, the Bavarian mushroom exchange is very broad in terms of the offerings. Today’s assortment includes Polish, Hungarian, Austrian and Dutch varieties. Hein: “Our most popular products are the white and brown mushrooms, Shi-i-Take and chanterelles. But we also have some very fine varieties, such as the white truffle from the Italian region of Piemonte. These cost about 6,000 euros per kg. For Christmas, prices even go up to 10,000 euros. We are talking about very small sales volumes of 10 to 30 kg per week.”
According to the seasoned mushroom dealer, 2017 was broadly satisfactory. “The mushrooms have remained stable in price, as this goes for the supply as well. Only for mushrooms and chanterelles from Romania prices were a bit too high, in my opinion. At the moment the market is going well and we expect the sales to rise again before Christmas.”
For more information:
Bayrische Pilzbörse GmbH
Inh. Peter Hein