Page 38 - January_2019
P. 38

able, even when the cold chain is maintained. Days of supply must be kept at a minimum at the distribution center and the store.”
HELPING INCREASE STORE SALES
Mushrooms work well in cross merchan- dising.  ey are merchandised in meat sections for use in kabobs, next to peppers, onions and other vegetables for sautés and are positioned near mixed greens and salads as an ideal complement. “Cross merchan- dising is available in many ways because mushrooms are such a  exible ingredient in so many recipes,” says Sagan. “If retailers pair mushrooms with other vegetables that go well together, they should see increased sales. It’s all about taking the guesswork out of shop- ping and cooking for the consumer.”
An easy way to increase incremental sales is by cross merchandising white sliced cleaned mushrooms in the bagged salad section, particularly when bagged salads are promoted in an auxiliary secondary loca- tion, advises Monterey Mushrooms’ O’Brien. “A row of sliced mushrooms will  y o  the shelf,” he says.
Shoppers who use mushrooms in casse- roles or stews or include them with poultry
PHOTO COURTESY OF TO-JO MUSHROOMS
buy more store products, says Phillips Mush- room Farms’ Donovan. “ e dollar value of the grocery cart de nitely goes up when mushrooms are there,” he says. “ ere are a lot of options to go with the purchase of mushrooms.”
Retailers can cross-merchandise mush- rooms in a variety of ways, says Harter. “In the winter, retailers can present mushrooms
outside their regular display area, near the front of the produce department,” she says. “ ey can set up a mini-display in the meat department, reminding shoppers of the deli- cious  avor combination mushrooms and meat provide, not just for steaks and ground beef, but also for turkey, pork, chicken and lamb.”
Specialty varieties are experiencing increased interest. While white mushrooms, Baby Bellas and Portabellas represent the highest percentage of Monterey Mushrooms’ sales; many exotics including Oysters, Shii- takes, King Trumpets, Maitake, White Beech, Brown Beech and Enoki also are selling well. “What we are seeing is a shift from white mushrooms to brown mushrooms,” says O’Brien.  e latest report from the Mush- room Council shows whites at 60 percent of total mushroom consumption and browns at 33 percent.
VARIETIES INCREASE SALES
For the week ending Nov. 4, specialty mushroom sales increased 19.5 percent while value-added sales jumped 22.8 percent and Cremini mushrooms expanded 8.8 percent over the prior 52 weeks, according to the
38 / JANUARY 2019 / PRODUCE BUSINESS


































































































   36   37   38   39   40