“We import and export many different varieties of wild mushrooms,” says Mathieu Rensy with American Mushroom Hunter. Domestically, wild mushrooms grow in the Pacific Northwest and production started at the beginning of this month. Washington, Oregon, California, Montana and Idaho are some of the US growing states. “The season doesn’t look very good this year,” said Rensy. “We had a really hot summer and the rain came very late. The season should have started at the end of August and not in October.” As a result, there will be less product available.
Grown in the woods
“We never know what we are going to get, as wild mushrooms grow in the woods. Mother Nature has control, not us. Harvest can be good, but you may also end up walking in the woods for two hours and only pick three pounds,” shared Rensy. For its supply, American Mushroom Hunter depends on connections. Buyers wait outside the forest and buy from the pickers at buying stations. While some people pick to make a living, some pick for the fun and sell what they don’t need.
High import tariff on wild mushrooms
“The US market is not a big consumer of wild mushrooms,” mentioned Rensy. “In Europe, wild mushrooms are available in every grocery store. The US market is more difficult, due to the lack of culinary knowledge for those fancy mushrooms. People don’t know how to prepare them and the educational process is difficult and expensive,” shared Rensy. In addition, import duties in the US are high. “We pay 22 percent import duties whereas Europe only pays 3.2 percent. Depending on the variety, prices are usually high in US stores, with the average cost being about $18-$20 per pound. For $12, people can get a meal at the diner,” said Rensy. Demand typically increases during the holidays.
In addition to domestic supplies, American Mushroom Hunter imports wild mushrooms from Europe, Eastern Europe and South Africa, at this time of the year.
High-end restaurants are main outlet
Wild mushrooms are considered a high-end and fancy product and according to Rensy, they are mainly consumed by people who have experienced fancy cuisine, know how to prepare them and have traveled over the world. The American Mushroom Hunter sells its mushrooms to distributors that will supply restaurants and high-end grocery stores, like WholeFoods.
