For the longest time, mushrooms in North America have been sold in solid colour tills. Recently, Highline Mushrooms made the change to clear tills. It was the first of many innovation steps. "All the individual steps we've been taking are micro innovations," says Highline's CEO Jose Cambon. "Some of them are visible to our customers and end consumers, others are innovations no one will ever see. Ultimately, our goal is to increase mushroom consumption."
Rebrand
A rebrand is another micro innovation. At IFPA's Global Show, the company unveiled a new brand with newly designed packaging that intends to bring mushrooms into the spotlight. Right now, in the store mushrooms are a sea of beige that blend in. "The new brand is bold, fun, and packed with personality," says Cambon. Buying decisions are made in the last two meters and it is Highline's intention for consumers to grab the mushroom packs. "Drawing the consumer to the mushroom wall and getting them to pick up what they want, that's our goal," adds Devon Kennedy, Highline's National Marketing Manager. "We want to get more mushrooms in the shopping basket." While consumption levels of organic mushrooms are still growing, conventional mushroom consumption is flat. "We're not selling candy, pop, or pharmaceuticals, but a great and healthy product," Cambon says. "Both these industries have done a tremendous job in selling their products, especially here in North America. The best marketing campaigns sit in these arenas. There is an opportunity for us to change this mindset and we want to do our little bit right."
Right now, the company is working on messaging for consumers and is creating awareness that mushrooms are a versatile superfood that can be consumed in many ways. "We want to do things differently because what has been done to date hasn't worked," Kennedy shares. The new brand will be rolled out in stores at the beginning of 2025.
At IPFA's Global Show, team Highline showed the rebrand. From left to right: John Sheehan, Jose Cambon, Devon Kennedy, and Sabrina Pokomandy.
Mushroom farm of the future
In addition to these visible innovations, the company is also working on innovations no one outside the organization will ever see. "Over the last two years, a lot of that innovation has been going on at Highline. We've changed some of our growing practices and we're building a new farm, in collaboration with the Christiaens Group. We've also changed our cultural practices," shares Cambon. These micro innovations have become part of the company culture and are driven by lots of different people within the organization.
The technology stack approach of the new farm will maximize growing and harvesting performance, utilizing the Christiaens Drawer System. "This system enables us to stack technology in a unique way to create IP and value for our customers. It creates the opportunity for robotics and AI." It's a big investment that isn't being made every day and therefore, the company has used the talent that's available within the organization to assess all the elements. "We've sent key team members across disciplines (e.g. harvesters, growers, compost makers, and maintenance) to Europe to look at how things are being done and develop a plan how to do it better, ensuring we are at the forefront of the industry." The new farm will be built in Leamington and after construction has been finalized, the concept will be rolled out at Highline's other farms across the country.
Partner of choice
"Each innovation on its own may not be mind blowing, but putting them together in a unique way, creates value." All in all, the goal for the team at Highline Mushrooms is to be the brand of choice. It all comes down to consistently offering a high-quality product that's grown in the most sustainable way possible with the help of technology. "We want to be disruptors in all of these elements and create value for our customers." Getting back to the clear till, which was the one of the first micro innovation steps. "The clear till allowed us to brand the front of the packaging. This was followed by the branding piece that targets to drive consumption. How can we continue to evolve that?"
In all of this, Cambon is very thankful to have partners who work with them at different micro innovation stages. "Some of these innovations were very much driven by our team, but we've also sought guidance from our partners during parts of the process. Ultimately, we want to create a mushroom ecosystem and work with the best partners, the best people, and the best technology. Putting all this together in a unique value-adding manner will make Highline the partner of choice."
For more information:
Jose Cambon
Highline Mushrooms
Tel: (+1) 519-326-8643
www.highlinemushrooms.com