Monthly Shipping and Marketing Report | February 2018

Attention: Sales Teams and Marketing Leads

Mark your calendars for April 24-25 to join the Council at the Culinary Institute of America in San Antonio, TX, for a Mushroom Marketing Summit designed to provide you with the latest research, resources and inspiration! This 1.5-day event will include educational sessions, hands-on breakouts (including some fun in the amazing CIA kitchens) and take home tools and materials.

Provide your customer-base with new and relevant information
Improve your personal sales and marketing skills
Leverage the Mushroom Council’s programs for your benefit

Topics will include:

Brand new consumer, foodservice and retail research and trends
“Sustainability is our Future” – mushroom sustainability research by Dr. Alissa Kendal, UC Davis
Retail Best Practices Refresh – including the emerging role of The Blend to sell the whole store
K-12, Colleges and Universities, Business and Industry, Healthcare…sell globally while executing locally
Beyond big chains, wholesalers/terminal markets key to reaching independents…what can you offer besides quality and price?
Marketing tips and best practices, including packaging design, social media and web design
Retail and foodservice promotions – case studies and templates
Orientation and review of the Council’s campaigns for the year; Promotional plug-ins, specific materials, and how to use
Review of marketing resources, tools, and presentation materials

Contact Cheryl Abbate to RSVP and receive additional information.

Council Meeting: The next Council meeting will take place in February 2018 in San Diego, CA. If you would like to attend, please let us know so we can make sure you are accommodated.
Nominations: A call for nominations will be sent on February 1, 2018 for three positions on the Council for the 2019-2021 term.
Exemption Applications: The exemption applications for the 2018 calendar year have been mailed to those who are currently exempt. If you need an application, click here.

Shipment Summary

To see current charts, click here.

The Month Ahead

DIGITAL

We are heading into our second month of the “I am a Blenditarian Because…” Ambassador Campaign, and this month junior celebrity chef and Blended Burger Project winner, Logan Guleff, is in the spotlight. Learn why he is a blenditarian here.
February’s #BlenditarianChallenge theme is ‘Date Night Done Right.’ Check out the details here and help spread the word on your social channels by sharing @Blenditarian’s promotional posts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

FOODSERVICE

The winners of Blended Burger Project: Campus Edition have been selected. Learn more about the winners on the Blenditarian blog.

SCHOOL FOODSERVICE

Texas Blitz – Feb 5 – 9th: Malissa Marsden and Dayle Hayes will be visiting Texas schools during the week of February 5th. They will be visiting the Houston and Dallas/Fort Worth district to discuss opportunities for Mushrooms in Schools.

Upcoming Events

INDUSTRY

April 24-25, 2018: Mushroom Marketing Summit at the Culinary Institute of America in San Antonio, TX. See all information in the “Council Update” section.

Highlights from January

On January 23, we honored the 2017 Blended Burger Project™ winners at the Blended Burger ‘Bun’anza public reception at the James Beard House in New York City. Stay tuned for updates regarding the fourth annual Blended Burger Project, which will officially launch in May.
The Council introduced MushroomCouncil.com, featuring a clean design, beautiful photography, refreshed content and updated social handles.
We kicked off the “I am a Blenditarian Because…” Ambassador Campaign and the #BlenditarianChallenge. Read about the launch of these programs in Fresh Plaza.
The USDA has approved and added the new 30lb, 12/2.5lb IQF diced mushroom pack to the USDA Foods Available List for School Year 2019 for Schools and Institutions.

Digital Metrics

Mushroom Council

Blenditarian

Topline Reports

Tracker Highlights from 12/03/2017*

Spotlight – Notable and Newsworthy:

In the 4-weeks – Mushroom category shows impressive dollar growth across the U.S.
In the 52-weeks – Mushroom category outpaces total produce in dollar growth rate

* IRI/FreshLook Data provided by Fusion Marketing