About 50% of the mushrooms sold are actually cultivated in this country, says the mushroom ambassador of the Bund Deutscher Champignon- und Kulturpilzanbauer e.V. and managing director of the Leichlinger Champignonzucht, Peter Marseille. This is related, among other things, to the labor cost structure, which in turn is reflected in the prices, since about 70% of the price comes from the cost of the intensive manual labor.

Wide range of mushrooms "We offer oyster mushrooms, rose oyster mushrooms, golden oyster mushrooms, Indian oyster mushrooms, grown on rye and wheat straw. However, brown and white mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms and king tumpet mushrooms are still among the most popular varieties," Marseille says. For about two years, his farm has also been dedicated to growing the poplar mushroom, also known as pioppino. This means Marseille can offer all mushrooms year-round.

"Mushrooms and king trumpet mushrooms are sold a lot, of course, and there is an ever-increasing demand for oyster mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms," Marseille adds. In addition to food retailers, his products are also sold directly to end consumers. In turn, the mushrooms, especially oyster mushrooms, are increasingly being used in the food service industry as a meat substitute. "Demand for these products is steadily growing; it has increased by about 70%."

Over the past two years, the Covid situation has allowed mushrooms to achieve significantly higher sales, particularly within food retail, while sales in the food service industry almost collapsed. "Champignons have a market share of about 65-70%, closely followed by king trumpet and shiitake mushrooms. An increasing trend can also be noticed when it comes to oyster mushrooms," Marseille said.

Price pressure from discounters Due to competitive pressure from abroad, prices are being pushed down by discounters, which is becoming more and more of a challenge for some of the growers. "This is quite a big problem, because in effect, the prices should be much higher. At the same time, the discounters want to offer more German goods." For packaging, he said, the company continues to rely on cardboard trays, with a plastic coating on the inside of these. "Mushrooms tend to absorb elements from their surroundings, like a sponge. Of course, mushrooms are very sensitive as well, and they do not have as long a shelf life as other products," Marseille concludes.

For more information: Peter Marseille Leichlinger Champignonzucht Bergerhof 71 42799 Leichlingen Tel: +49 2175/ 4282 Fax: +49 2175/4282 E-Mail: info@leichlinger-champignonzucht.de  leichlinger.champignonzucht@yahoo.de   leichlinger-champignonzucht.de 

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