Monthly Shipping and Marketing Report | February 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 will be launching Mid-February!

This site brings together all the council microsites into one resource for industry members, retailers, dietitians, school nutrition and foodservice professionals. 

Stay tuned for further launch details!

Shipment Summary Highlights

Combined AND domestic shipment volume slowed in October, but still ticked upward, setting a new all-time high; and continuing to reach new monthly highs for the 5th consecutive month.

While imports also continue to set new highs, the growth rate has moderated, up 2.2% in October vs 11.28% year to date.

Shipment Summary

To see current charts, click here.

The Month Ahead

DIGITAL

• The social media theme for February is “Perfect Pairings.”
  • Download: February graphics.
  • Share recipes or ways your mushrooms pair well with other ingredients.
• The new quarterly Blend Challenge kicks off January 31 with the theme of “Healthy Hacks.” Encourage customers and followers to use The Blend for a chance to win a cooking prize pack.Download: Contest graphics
  • Share: Contest details and how to enter.

Highlights from January

DIGITAL

• The Council’s ‘What’s Your Mushroom Horoscope?’ social media campaign generated media coverage in trade publications as well as garnered impressive engagements and impressions on the Council’s social media channels. Discover your mushroom horoscope in this blog post and check out media hits in And Now U Know and The Packer.

Upcoming Events and Tradeshows

The James Beard Foundation’s Taste America event series continues!

• Beginning in Boston on February 6^th at the Boston Public Market. At these events, we will have a chef preparing a blended burger for attendees and the council will be holding a taste test comparison between the blended patty and a 100% meat patty. The Council will also be at the Taste America event in New Orleans on February 13^th. 
  
  The Council has a limited number of tickets for each event that allows industry members to attend or to use to invite their customers in those geographic areas. If you are interested in attending either event, please contact Heather Harter ([email protected]) for details.

Digital Metrics

Mushroom Channel

Blenditarian

Digital Metrics

Tracker Highlights – Period ending 12/01/2019

• Download the Highlights (4 & 52 Weeks) Report
• Download the Graphic Highlights Report

Spotlight – Notable and Newsworthy

• In the 4-weeks – Fresh mushroom category dollars up +1.6%
• In the 52-weeks – Cremini, Specialty and Value-added mushrooms show strong annual sales growth

*IRI/FreshLook Data provided by Fusion Marketing