Monthly Shipping and Marketing Report | April 2018

Council Update

Mushroom Super Summit 2018:
Sonic Slingers, Sustainability Stats and Supply Shortages
How research, buzz and new tools can help you sell more mushrooms

Do you have the latest information, tools and resources you need for your customers — current and future? Join us in San Antonio on April 24th and 25th to hear new research and get new materials to use every day! This fast-paced summit is designed for everyone who works in mushroom sales and marketing. All participants will leave reinvigorated with new tools for every sales call.

Day 1 – Tuesday, April 24 – 8am-5pm

Learn the very latest consumer and foodservice research
Sustainability is our future: telling mushrooms’ unique sustainability story
The Future of Mushrooms: New opportunities in Retail, Foodservice and K12
BONUS: Hands-on culinary trends in the kitchens of the Culinary Institute of America!

Day 2 – Wednesday, April 25 – 8am-2pm

Retail, K12 and foodservice best practices, all included in the NEW marketing book!
Social Media Marketing Bootcamp

Come to the Culinary Institute in San Antonio, take home must-have resources, and help us create the best possible Mushroom Council programs for the future.

Time is running out! There is no cost to attend the Summit, but Space is Limited, and the hotel room block is ending next week. Reserve your place now!

Email [email protected] or call (650) 632-4250 to RSVP then… Book your room at Hotel Emma by clicking this link: Mushroom Council April 2018.

Nominations: A call for nominations were mailed on February 1, 2018 for three positions on the Council for the 2019-2021 term. Region 2 which includes PA has two seats opening and Region 3 which includes CA has one seat opening.

The Mushroom Council sees the pursuit of diversity in board membership as an opportunity for embracing new ideas and growth that will enable the Council to better serve the industry. Central to this effort is having leadership to serve on the Council that reflects a diversity of perspectives and opinions. The industry population is diverse, and the Council should reflect, without discrimination, that diversity in the size of operations, experience of members, methods of production and distribution, marketing strategies, and other distinguishing factors that will bring different types of individuals, perspectives and ideas to the table.

Council Meeting: The next Council meeting will be held on June 7-8 in Boston. If you would like to attend, please let us know so we can make sure you are accommodated.

Shipment Summary

To see current charts, click here.

The Month Ahead

DIGITAL

April is Earth Month! Download and share the unique mushroom sustainability story with your social media followers.
We will launch our fourth Blenditarian Challenge™: Power Greens, in partnership with our new Blenditarian ambassador, Jehangir Mehta. Promote and participate in this month’s challenge here.
Chef Jehangir Mehta, New York City’s Most Sustainable Chef, is hosting an Earth Month Pop-Up dinner at Graffiti Earth. If you will be in the area April 16 – April 28th, be sure to make a reservation!
We will continue chef and media outreach for the fourth annual Blended Burger Project™. Stay tuned for updates and continue to spread the word to your network of chefs.

FOODSERVICE

Sonic will continue to menu their Slinger until April 22 allowing you more time to be sure to order the burgers. Every burger you order helps ensure that the Slinger is a success. Looking for an interesting business lunch with customers or team-members, then head to a Sonic near you, so everyone can see what Sonic is accomplishing and how good the burgers are. For a Sonic near you or near where you are traveling, go to https://locations.sonicdrivein.com/search.html
The Blended Burger will begin the chef recruitment phase this month. The Council will have new materials by April 15 (with some already ready) to help you in recruiting your favorite chef/customer to join. Watch this site for more information: https://www.jamesbeard.org/blendedburgerproject
This year, participation should be broader than ever–open to all restaurants, colleges, chains, hospitals and corporate cafeterias–because now the top 5 will be selected by a judging panel from the top 20 vote-getters. So culinary and popularity are both important. A great opportunity for your customers.
The winning chefs from the James Beard Foundation Blended Burger Project Campus edition will be cooking at the historic James Beard House on April 17. There are limited tickets available, so let your distributors and customers know. For information please contact Cheryl.
The Council will participate in the Produce for Better Health conference from April 4-6. The Council will be on a panel with US Potatoes and members of Healthy Menus Collaborative talking about healthier menus and The Blend on Thursday, April 5. Following the panel, there will be a conference-wide lunch featuring mushroom and potato dishes. If you are attending the Conference, please join us for lunch and the panel.

Highlights from April

DIGITAL

SONIC released its Signature Slinger, the first blended burger to be offered at fast food restaurants nationwide. Be sure to stop by SONIC before the end of April, and share the Burger Hack from BuzzFeed (more than 3M views) on your social channels.
The “I Am a Blenditarian Because…” campaign continues to gain traction on social media as top influencers share why they are taking the pledge. Check out our favorite blog posts from Eating Richly, I Don’t Have Time for That!, and Sizzling Eats. Share these posts with your social media followers, and add your own voice to the conversation by filming a short video sharing why you’re a blenditarian, and post to social with #blenditarian.
We updated the Blend Marketing Toolkit with new key messaging, social content, recipes and images. This toolkit is a great resource for approved information on The Blend. Check it out and share with your network.

FOODSERVICE

The Council attended three of the major NACUFS regional shows where colleges and universities attend to see new products, meet about The Blend and other mushroom opportunities and learn new ideas. The fourth, and last will be in early April, and along with the Council, several Blended burger suppliers have been exhibiting successfully. Through these forums, there are now more major public universities that are adopting the Blend.

Digital Metrics

Mushroom Council

Topline Reports

Tracker Highlights from 01/28/2018*

Spotlight – Notable and Newsworthy:

In the 4-weeks – Mushroom category starts the year with a bang – outpacing total produce by +2.6 points
In the 52-weeks – Brown mushrooms are driving long-term category volume growth

* IRI/FreshLook Data provided by Fusion Marketing