The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Guimaras has launched its first Shared Service Facility (SSF) of 2025, aimed at boosting mushroom processing capabilities for the Avila Farmers Agrarian Reform Cooperative (AFARCO) in Brgy. Avila, Buenavista, Guimaras.

The ceremonial turnover of the facility on June 23 was led by DTI Guimaras Officer-in-Charge Juvy Benliro, alongside Vice Mayor Cyril Beltran, Brgy. Captain Aster Brian Hiponia, AFARCO Chairman Alfredo Ferrer, Business Manager Teresita Martinez, and members of the cooperative.

The SSF includes specialized food-grade machinery for cleaning, slicing, dehydrating, and packaging oyster mushrooms, designed to improve productivity and maintain consistent product quality.

Please read the full article here.

Source: DailyGuardian

On the photo: 
Key stakeholders, members of the AFARCO Cooperative, together with the technical and support staff of DTI Guimaras during the official launching of the Shared Service Facility (SSF) on Mushroom Processing.

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