The cultivation of mushrooms has had a challenging year, particularly due to the rising energy prices and other cost increases that have been affecting the mushroom industry. Nevertheless, organic cultivation company Kirnig, located in the heart of South Tyrol, is looking back on a successful year of production and marketing, CEO Andreas Kalser says.
Organic King oyster mushrooms from South Tyrol.
Both production and sales were able to be increased last year, says Kalser. "Apart from minor issues with our yield, we were able to consistently deliver, as per demand. Our long-standing and proven partnership with our Swiss substrate supplier Kernser Edelpilze has been a great help, ensuring we had no shortages in substrate supply. Furthermore, raw material prices, whether packaging materials, production resources, or fuels, have slightly decreased compared to the previous year, 2022. Therefore, the situation seems to be slowly recovering. However, the increased interest rates at the EU level have had a significant impact."
The organic gourmet mushroom cultivator primarily serves retail branches and restaurateurs in South Tyrol and northern Italy. A small portion of the production also reaches neighboring foreign countries via intermediaries. Kalser: "What distinguishes our organic gourmet mushrooms are primarily the taste and the regional aspect, meaning short delivery routes. Organic quality is also an important argument, but often not the decisive factor."
The portfolio of the organic cultivation operation includes Shiitake, King Oyster, and Oyster mushrooms, with the focus on the first two varieties. "The mushroom market continues to grow. The health and taste aspects are still a strong selling point," Kalser adds. The peak season continues to be during the colder months.
Dried organic shiitake
Optimizing existing workflows
In the past, the innovative cultivation operation has tried to implement the topic of sustainable packaging. However, the time was not yet ripe for concepts with loose marketing and cardboard trays, concludes Kalser. "The switch to sustainable packaging solutions is extremely difficult for edible mushrooms. Ideally, a bio-degradable film would be optimal, but product protection remains an absolute prerequisite."
All in all, the management of the South Tyrolean company looks positively towards the future. "The coming year will be marked by the optimization of existing workflows and logistics processes. We are overall well on track and continue to manage with local staff. Therefore, we look forward with optimism," he concludes.
Pictures: Kirnig Südtiroler Bio-Edelpilze
For more information:
Andreas Kalser & Josef Obkircher
Kirnig Südtiroler Bio-Edelpilze 
Thalweg 10 39040 Aldein
South Tyrol – Italy
Tel.: +39 3408696047
[email protected]
https://www.kirnig.com