The European mushroom market is busy. "We certainly can't complain about sales. Other vegetables being so expensive benefits us, and the demand for mushrooms is skyrocketing. Since these remain a cheap product, we're selling nice volumes," says Michel Lesage of Lesage Champignons in Belgium.
"There's a limited supply of tomatoes, and carrots are very pricey. People are quicker to ignore the competitive vegetables now because, with inflation, they're paying more attention to prices. Then they rapidly turn to mushrooms, which can be widely used in cooking. It's good to see the market's gone from panic mode to creativity mode again."
The grower/trader remains vigilant, though. "We've recovered slightly from the difficult times before New Year but still have a way to go. Unlike neighboring countries, we've not yet passed on the increased wages and raw material price increases to the market. The supplier-side pressure is easing, and the supply chain seems to have normalized, becoming more stable again. That was also necessary because things weren't working out for many with the way things were going before New Year's," Michel explains.
Despite the tough times, Lesage Champignons invested in the business and is now reaping the rewards. The company took over competitor Champi-Fresh. "The organization had to be somewhat adjusted initially, but Champi-Fresh's customer base gave us a geographical spread in areas like Germany and Wallonia."
"In these times, risk-spreading like that is never wrong. It's a nice addition to our portfolio. Also, we can now profit from selling higher volumes. That makes transportation and raw materials and packaging materials purchasing more efficient," Lesage continues.
The mushroom market, thus, seems to generally be slowly but surely climbing out of the recent months' challenging dip. "It's great that our customers are asking for new products again. The panic seems to be over, and long-lacking creativity's back. Everyone was cutting costs."
"But now they're gradually trying to find novelties, alternative packaging materials, and other mushroom varieties again. It's nice to put such a versatile product back on the market in a good way. A way it deserves. It's so versatile, and it's up to us to show everyone that. We can look ahead again," Michel concludes.
For more information:
Michel Lesage
Lesage Champignons
79 Kervijn Street
8531, Harelbeke (Bavikhove) BE
Tel: +32 (0) 567 12 288
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.lesagechampignons.be