Monthly Shipping and Marketing Report | May 2018

Council Update

Nominations: The call for nominations for three positions on the Council for the 2019-2021 term is now closed. Letters are being mailed to those who have been nominated to verify the acceptance of such nomination. Region 2 which includes PA has two seats opening and Region 3 which includes CA has one seat opening. Ballots will be mailed on June 1.The Mushroom Council sees the pursuit of diversity in board membership as an opportunity for embracing new ideas and growth that will enable the Council to better serve the industry. Central to this effort is having leadership to serve on the Council that reflects a diversity of perspectives and opinions. The industry population is diverse, and the Council should reflect, without discrimination, that diversity in the size of operations, experience of members, methods of production and distribution, marketing strategies, and other distinguishing factors that will bring different types of individuals, perspectives and ideas to the table.
Council Meeting: The next Council meeting will be held on June 7-8 in Boston. If you would like to attend, please let us know so we can make sure you are accommodated.

Shipment Summary

to see current charts, click here.

The Month Ahead

DIGITAL

May is Burger Month and the theme of our Blenditarian Challenge™! Make one of the featured recipes and post a picture to social media with #BlenditarianChallenge. Learn more here.

FOODSERVICE

Culinary Fight Club, a group that challenges chefs in markets across the country to compete, has named May “Blended Burger Month”. If you would like to see the challenges or amplify on your social media outlets, view the schedule below. No admission cost when you tell them you are a member of the mushroom industry/Mushroom Council. Dates and locations are as follows with start times at 5:30pm.
- May 7 – Uptown Beer Garden, 1735 Market St, Philadelphia, PA
- May 9 – VBGB Beer Hall & Garden, 920 Hamilton St, Charlotte, NC
- May 14 – No Mas Cantina, 180 Walker St SW ste b, Atlanta, GA 30313
- May 15 – Mill Park – Tailgate Haus, 1 Brewers Way, Milwaukee, WI 53214 – Pending
- May 17 – Old Ground Special, 950 W Wrightwood Ave, Chicago, IL 60614
- May 24 – Summit Brewing Company, 910 Montreal Cir, St. Paul, MN 55102 – Pending
- May 30 – Brew Ha Ha, 4601, 2435 N 12th Ave, Pensacola, FL 32503
The James Beard Foundation, as part of the Blended Burger Project, is hosting chef lunches in Santa Fe and Charleston on May 15, and Houston and Indianapolis on May 22. If you would like to attend, know of chefs who want to attend, or have customers you want to attend, please let Steve Solomon ([email protected]).
Registration for the 4th annual James Beard Foundation’s Blended Burger Project™ is now open and celebrated chef, Stephanie Izard (JBF award winner, Iron Chef, Top Chef), is leading the charge as the project’s official spokesperson. Read the announcement on Fresh Plaza, check out the James Beard Foundation blog post, watch the BBP video and spread the word (resources below) with your network of chefs.This year, participation should be broader than ever — open to all restaurants, colleges, chains, hospitals and corporate cafeterias — because a panel of food experts selected by the James Beard Foundation will determine five winners from the top 20 entries with the most online votes. Experts will determine the top five winners based on (1) most creative use of mushrooms, (2) best flavor profile and (3) presentation. A great opportunity for your customers.

This promotional video highlights the Partnership with Chef Stephanie Izard, follow the links below to share on your social channels

Head to Facebook and share this post.
Head to Twitter and retweet this tweet.
Share this YouTube video on LinkedIn.
Update your email signature line: “The 4th Annual James Beard Foundation is now accepting registrations! Create a more delicious, nutritious and sustainable burger and you could be cooking at the James Beard House in 2019!”

Download Additional Resources Here!

Highlights from April

DIGITAL

We hosted a marketing summit in San Antonio on April 24-25 to educate sales teams on the latest mushroom research, trends and promotional campaigns. If you missed the summit, you can access the marketing book here.

FOODSERVICE

The winning chefs from the James Beard Foundation Blended Burger Project Campus Edition cooked at the historic James Beard House on April 17. There were limited tickets available, if you missed it you can view the photos of the event here.

Digital Metrics

Mushroom Council

Blenditarian

Topline Reports

Tracker Highlights from 02/25/2018*

Spotlight – Notable and Newsworthy:

In the 4-weeks – Dollar growth shown in all region across the U.S.
In the 52-weeks – Mushroom category dollar growth rate outpaced total produce by +1.4 points

* IRI/FreshLook Data provided by Fusion Marketing