Monthly Shipping and Marketing Report | March 2020

Council Update

Open Positions on the Council (2021-2023 term):
A call for nominations will be sent on or about February 3, 2020 for three open positions on the Council for the 2021-2023 term.

• Region 1 (All states except CA & PA) – one open position
• Region 2 (PA) – one open position
• Region 4 (Importers) – one open position

Mushroom growers have ideas, skills, experiences and perspectives that would benefit the industry; be a voice for your industry by becoming part of the Council.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Mushroom Council encourage all eligible producers, including women, minorities and individuals with disabilities to participate and seek nomination.
Exemption Applications: The exemption applications for the 2020 calendar year have been mailed to those who are currently exempt. If you do not receive an application, please email [email protected]

Council Meeting:

• The next Council meeting will take place on February 20, 2020 in Phoenix, AZ. If you would like to attend, please reach out to [email protected].

The NEW MushroomCouncil.org website Is live!

This site brings together all the council microsites into one resource for industry members, retailers, dietitians, school nutrition and foodservice professionals. 
Click here to take a tour of the new and improved mushroomcouncil.org

Shipment Summary Highlights

November total shipments continued the recent run of record monthly shipment highs. Total shipments Year to Date are on pace to set yet another record high for the year, pending December results.

Shipment Summary

To see current charts, click here.

The Month Ahead

• Mushroom Council will be a sponsor at the Culinary Institute’s Food is Life Event at Copia from April 22-26.  Be on the lookout for an email from Heather on how you can get involved – find additional details here.

DIGITAL

• March’s “Mushroom Madness” social media activities encourage followers to vote for their favorite mushroom recipes throughout the month via social media polls. 
  • Follow along and reshare posts from Mushroom Council’s Facebook and Twitter.
  • Download and share Mushroom Madness graphics.

Highlights from February

DIGITAL

• The Mushroom Council sponsored two Raising the Bar events as a continuation of the partnership with James Beard Foundation in Boston and New Orleans. Between the two events, around 450 guests attended and sampled blended sliders. View social media shares from both events: Boston, New Orleans.
• CNN Business wrote a great article on mushrooms’ trendiness and health benefits, in addition to The Blend. Read the article here.

Upcoming Events and Tradeshows

• The James Beard Foundation’s Taste America event series continues! We will have a Taste America event in LA on April 1 – Anyone interested in tickets for their staff or customers need to RSVP to Heather by March 13 – Details:
  • Los Angeles Raising the Bar Reception
    April 1, 2020  
    FreePlay located in The Fields LA
    
• The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Food & Culinary Professionals Dietetic Practice Group is hosting a three-day event in the Napa Valley where they will explore food, nutrition and culinary mastery. The workshop begins Thursday, March 12 and concludes late afternoon on Saturday, March 14. The program includes lectures, presentations, tastings and hands-on culinary activities. Attendees are all dietitians and primarily interested in culinary applications. The Mushroom Council will have several meal inclusions as well as a two-hour seminar for attendees.
  
• South By Southwest (SXSW) in Austin this year will have blended burgers on the menu thanks to our ongoing partnership with the James Beard Foundation (JBF). Blended burger sliders will be served as passed appetizers at JBF’s nightly farm-to-table dinner series taking place at the Eden East Farm and Restaurant in Austin March 14-17. Each night will feature local Austin chefs as well as a notable guest chef, like Andrew Zimmern, who will be cooking on March 14. Each night will feature a different burger. This ticketed event sees attendance from influential chefs, media,  and consumers. 
   
• Blended burgers will be served at the signature “The New Vintage” dinner event taking place on March 21 as part of Taste Washington in Seattle. Taste Washington is a celebration of Washington’s food and wine, and draws guests from across Washington and beyond for a weekend of tastings and food demonstrations. The ticketed event will feature a booth with a notable chef serving blended burgers. This is our second year participating as a sponsor in Taste Washington, with last year’s event e

Digital Metrics

Mushroom Channel

Blenditarian

Digital Metrics

Tracker Highlights – Period ending 12/29/2019

• Download the Highlights (4 & 52 Weeks) Report

Spotlight – Notable and Newsworthy

• In the 4-weeks – Fresh mushroom category dollars up +0.6%
• In the 52-weeks – Cremini, Specialty and Value Added mushrooms show sales growth, while White and Portabella segments decline, resulting in flat dollar sales for 2019

*IRI/FreshLook Data provided by Fusion Marketing