Can I pick your brains please?!

Mrs_Chip

I spent my teenage years working on a mushroom farm, I can pretty much say that I have not noticed a material difference between the quality and flavour of the mush I was picking back in the 70's and those available now (unless they have not been stored correctly or are very old). So I don't necessarily think the issue was one of quality, probably more to do with costs, as the sheds need heating.

In the past I would buy locally produced over imported as a matter of principal, but as money is now tight I buy based on price and quality.

I would have thought the start-up costs would be quite high, as would the on-going resource costs (are they still picked by hand?) Fuel is on an upward spiral, so unless you have a free source your will find your margins being constantly squeezed. Unless you are growing exotics, bog-standard mushrooms do not attract a premium, so you would have to sell an awful lot to break even. Unless you can find a way to add value, you may find it hard going.

Sorry to be so negative, but as we have just started our own business, these are the things we have had to consider for ourselves.

ragz_2

I buy the cheapest mushrooms in Tesco, never even looked at where they come from like I do with meat. But if they were clearly labelled at British and the same price I'd buy them.

oldtractor

Like a lot of people I buy the cheapest. I think Holland etc do well with mushrooms and other produce because they have well set up growing facilities which I suspect are subsidised. They also have their exporters and markets in place. I just cannot see how you could compete.Sorry,but thats how I see it. Have you contacted DEFRA the NFU and asked questions in Farmers Weekly forum?

zcrat41

[

QUOTE=must_try_harder;47755069]I would always buy local if there is little difference in price.

Could you get around the cost issue by growing different varieties? I am always amazed at the lack of choice of mushrooms in supermarkets and the more unusual types always sell for more.

[/QUOTE]

Really interesting how much people are price driven. I think I'm getting a different response to what I would have got 2 or 3 years ago.

I spent my teenage years working on a mushroom farm, I can pretty much say that I have not noticed a material difference between the quality and flavour of the mush I was picking back in the 70's and those available now (unless they have not been stored correctly or are very old). So I don't necessarily think the issue was one of quality, probably more to do with costs, as the sheds

need heating.

Apparently they were for a bit known in the wholesale market as English Class B as opposed to Irish Class A!

would have thought the start-up costs would be quite high, as would the on-going resource costs (are they still picked by hand?) Fuel is on an upward spiral, so unless you have a free source your will find your margins being constantly squeezed. Unless you are growing exotics, bog-standard mushrooms do not attract a premium, so you would have to sell an awful lot to break even. Unless you can find a way to add value, you may find it hard going.

Start up costs are high - we're aware of that and are taking it into account. That's a barrier to entry for a lot of people but we're in a bit of a financial fortuante position at the moment! Fuel would be an interesting one for the future as we have the opportunity for both an AD plant and a wind turbine on our land which we are looking into as well. (We don't mind the fact we'll probably be hated in our village community by rich londoners moving out!) We just think the margins are there despite being picked by hand! The staff numbers also put off lots of new entrants but in a previous life I was a people manager so I'd thrive on that challenge.

I think Holland etc do well with mushrooms and other produce because they have well set up growing facilities which I suspect are subsidised. They also have their exporters and markets in place. I just cannot see how you could compete.Sorry,but thats how I see it. Have you contacted DEFRA the NFU and asked questions in Farmers Weekly forum

?

You're absolutely right - they are well set up and we think if we set up as well as them we can compete on a level playing field but have the local advantage. I don't think they're subsidised but will check. We would be selling through a co-op who are looking for new growers so we do have a market there. We'd also be doing it on a big enough scale to justify the input costs.

ANyway, you didn't want a run down of my business plan - I just wanted to know what mushrooms you buy!!

Thanks for all your responses, it's much appreciated.

Frugalista

My ex-BIL was a market trader (fruit & veg) - he tried to buy mushrooms direct from the growers just down the road from him (Midlands) but even he found it cheaper to buy from the wholesalers (I assume they were imported).

I too am price driven, sorry .

Mrs_Chip

I think you will find that the general mood of consumers is quite a bit different to even only 2 years ago, money is having to go further and shoppers are more canny.

If you can compete (or beat) on price and quality, being local (or english/british) may be the deciding factor for you customers.

But if I am making something that has mushrooms as an ingredient (soup or a chilli say) I will buy Value mushrooms as long as they are not walking off the shelves themselves, and at less than a pound for huge box, that's good value to me. Not so sure about the grower though!

oldtractor

Can you produce the mushrooms cheaper than the imports at the same quality? If so I'd buy them,but if the imported are cheaper then I'd buy those. TBH I only buy Value mushrooms or reduced ones in the Whoopsie isle or pick them from my own pasture.We had lots this year and have several bags of cooked sliced ones in the freezer now.

Sublime_2

If organic, and quality, would be prepared to buy. Quality always, not quantity.

babyshoes

I am also generally price motivated, though willing to pay a little more for the unusual varieties - tend to buy them as a treat when they are on special or reduced though.

Justamum

zcrat41 wrote: »

But our business would depend on there being a market. Do you buy british? Are you bothered? Is it price point only that decides you? Is it an everyday product?

I just buy bog-standard mushrooms, so I can't say where the fancy ones come from, but all the ones I buy are British. I've never seen any from anywhere else. They used to be from Northern Ireland a few years ago, but now are mainly from Lancashire. There is a mushroom growing place on the island here but I think their mushrooms are rather pricey because they aren't growing them on such a large scale.

I didn't know that most mushrooms in Britain come from abroad.