After recognising a gap in consumers’ knowledge, the Costa Group looked to its packaging to help educate people on ways to use and how to cook mushrooms. Kim Berry looks at what’s in the box. This article was first published in Food & Drink Business May 2021.

Costa marketing and innovation manager – mushroom category Elisa Siliato says there are five types of mushroom buyers and only one of those loves them and buys them every week.

“There are those who don’t use them unless a recipe calls for them, people who don’t really know what to do with them or don’t know the difference between varieties, and then those who know they are good for you but don’t know why. We knew we had to educate people,” Siliato says. The result was Mush-Boom, a consumer-facing advocacy brand using packaging as the main player. “We gave mushrooms a voice, personality, vibrancy and appeal,” she says.

The result was Mush-Boom, a consumer-facing advocacy brand using packaging as the main player. “We gave mushrooms a voice, personality, vibrancy and appeal,” she says.

The first step was to promote the nutritional benefits on the packaging. A QR code lets consumers find out more about its nutrients as well as how they are grown and recipes to try.

On the packaging is the variety’s name, Costa’s quirky descriptive name, and the best occasion to use that mushroom type.

Please read the full article here.
Source: Food & Drink Business

Mario (Chuff) D. Basciani, a mushroom industry pioneer whose work ethic, tenacity and passion for mushrooms made him a role model to farmers throughout the country, died Sunday, Sept. 13, surrounded by his loving family. He was 91.

Mr. Basciani was a second-generation mushroom farmer, founder of Basciani Foods Inc., and patriarch of the Basciani family. He is survived by his wife of over 70 years, Anna, his five children, 18 grandchildren, and 40 great-grandchildren.

Mr. Basciani was born Jan. 20, 1929 in Toughkenamon, PA, to Italian immigrants Emedio and Anna Basciani. His father started harvesting mushrooms for the Pratt family in 1915, until he established his own farm in 1925. Mr. Basciani began working on the family farm at a young age and fell in love with all aspects of the business, especially the challenging physical work that comes with cultivating mushrooms. 

Read the full article here.
Source: The Produce News