One of the largest US mushroom growers, based in southern Chester County, plans a major expansion. However, this would take place in Canada, which has been growing more mushrooms and exporting to grocers in the US, where production has declined in recent years.
Kennett Square-based South Mill Champs is a major supplier to both East Coast and West Coast markets. The company management has agreed to buy Canada’s family-owned Loveday Mushroom Farms to fill in its market map and supply metro areas in the US Midwest, along with Loveday’s customers in central Canada.
South Mill Champs said last year it planned a new, 500-worker mushroom farm in mostly rural Elk Township, Chester County, after winning a $1.5 million state grant to extend natural gas service to the property.
The deal will boost company production by 10 million pounds a year, to more than 100 million pounds, or about 9 percent of the entire combined US and Canada crop. South Mill Champs won’t say what it paid.