“Our aim is to offer the widest range of mushrooms - fresh, frozen, dried or conserved - to the widest range of consumer,” says Phill Dean, founder of Mushroomman.co.uk, operating from New Covent Garden market.
In 2003, the company moved to the wholesale market to join the mainstream of the fresh produce industry and benefit from improved logistical facilities. Mushroomman sells cultivated and wild mushrooms in all forms to caterers, specialist mushroom companies, general trade and other UK wholesale markets. Dean has been marketing mushrooms for nearly four decades, and Michael Hyams his partner, joined in 2002 bringing his many years of experience in fresh produce trade.
“Our speciality is wild mushrooms, a thriving sector in the UK. The business has been developed from scratch in the past seven years, by constantly sourcing and improving the range we offer. We are particularly looking at Eastern Europe and China for the future. The company turnovers more than £2.5 million a year,” says Dean. “We are at the forefront in supplying the UK, but the local market falls way behind France and the US, particularly in developing public awareness and accessibility to mushrooms - the supply chain has been poorly represented to date.”
The company imports its mushrooms globally - Shii-take from China, Oyster from Hungary and wild varieties from four continents - and is currently exploring newly developed cultivation in Poland of agaricus family varieties such as button, cup, chestnut and portabella. These varieties are currently sourced from the Netherlands and many Dutch growers have invested in developing the Polish mushroom sector. “However,” says Dean, “Polish growers will need to pay greater attention to quality, reliability and price to compete with the Netherlands who are currently leaders in the sector.”
Mushroomman handles more than 30 varieties of fresh mushrooms, of which 10 are also available in frozen and dried forms.
Weekly imports of fresh mushrooms consist of 15 tonnes of agaricus, one tonne of Oyster, one tonne of Shii-take and 2-3t of wild and exotic varieties. In addition, one tonne of frozen and 2.5t of dried mushrooms are brought in monthly. Cultivated agaricus (button, chestnut) and exotics (Shii-take, pieds blu, shimaji) are available year-round but wild mushrooms are seasonal - Chantarelle, Pied du Mouton and Trompettes des Morts will be the first varieties available this season, from August to March.
The company also offers mixed selections “which are popular and can be produced to suit customer requirements”, says Dean. “In collaboration with a major mushroom company, we have recently developed a 250g pre-packed, recyclable punnet which protects the produce and displays the mushrooms to their utmost.”
The directors are considering entering into supply agreements with the UK supermarkets, as they believe mushrooms are a large, potential growth sector. Dean says: “The difficulty is to convince the supermarkets to dedicate more shelf space for these exciting products. Europe and the US offer consumers a wider range of fresh, frozen and dried mushrooms. Celebrity chefs and restaurant eating have broadened consumer’s appreciation and familiarity, and with more products available to UK consumers, we could match the trade experienced in overseas markets.”
With its dedicated team, Mushroommann claims to be at the top of its field, being the best equipped to lead the sector’s expansion by placing emphasis on balancing quality, value for money, service and consistency. “We aim to provide the best, natural choice of mushrooms to satisfy our clientele, regardless of size, location or requirements.”
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