This year, Van Herwijnen Champignons from Kerkdriel, the Netherlands, started cultivating organic mushrooms, in addition to its conventional package. “In the long run, we expect the market will gradually shift towards organic. We are now ready for that with our organic nursery,” says Peter van Herwijnen, who runs the company with his wife Nettie. “Conventionally speaking, we belonged to the smaller mushroom cultivators, but we have a significant volume for organic.”
The step to organic cultivation was not too big for Van Herwijnen. “Our cultivation was already almost completely free of chemicals. We always say that quality comes before quantity. That is why we do not spray the mushrooms with water and why we maintain a calm cultivation schedule, all to improve the quality and shelf life of the product. That calm cultivation also results in firmer meat, making the mushrooms more flavourful.”
In addition to the white mushrooms in all sizes, Van Herwijnen also cultivates chestnut mushrooms and portobello mushrooms. “We have no limits when it comes to different sizes, packagings and special mushrooms,” Peter says. Unique to the company is that white and brown mushrooms are cultivated in one cell. “That provides the possibility to switch when asked, allowing us to produce to size.”
The switch to organic cultivation pleases the married couple. “We are convinced this is the direction the market will take. We have all sorts available in an organic variety. You need slightly more customers for organic mushrooms, because the orders tend to be somewhat smaller, but we can supply domestic and international customers in both large and small orders. Up till now, sales to the catering industry have not really picked up yet, but we also see growth potential in that field. Naturally, the organic product is more expensive. That will always be the case, because the materials are significantly more expensive.”
Van Herwijnen was the first cultivator to receive the Fair Produce certification in the Bommelerwaard a few years ago. The cultivator still has mixed feelings about that. “To us, it is natural to treat our employees decently. During the first period after receiving the certification, we noticed we were one up with our buyers. By now, the majority of our colleagues have followed us.”
