SEOUL, KOREA - Since Korea began exporting king oyster mushrooms in 2005, the amount that have been exported to Europe has been steadily increasing.Korea currently ships king oyster mushrooms to many countries in Europe, including the Netherlands, France, Germany, Britain, and Spain, via containers.
One major company, Greenpeace Green Co. (Greenco.) is exporting king oyster mushrooms to many European countries through its local joint venture, Green Mushroom Farm (GMF) in the Netherlands, according to a company spokesman.
King oyster mushrooms, which are known as big oyster mushroom or delicious pine mushroom in Korea, are a recognized food ideal for dieting with low calories, rich cellulose and moisture, he said.
GMF is distributing Korean king oyster mushrooms to European consumers through its major clients, including Mitrofresh and Frihol in the Netherlands and Germany, Special Fruit in Switzerland, Vinas and Butet in France, Smithymushroom in Britain, and Olmo in Spain.
To date, exports of king oyster mushrooms to the European markets have been chiefly made through bulk-style purchases, rather than bunch-style.
"In the European market, Korean king oyster mushrooms are superior to its Chinese counterpart in terms of quality, but inferior to the Chinese product in terms of price. We are focused on continuing to deliver the top quality products on the market, considering the one-month transportation period required by ship," said the spokesman.
State of the European mushroom market
At present, white button mushrooms represent roughly 90 percent of the European mushroom market, while oriental mushrooms, including Korean ones, account for a small portion of the European mushroom market.
"Korea has a strong hold on the European mushroom market, with their king oyster mushroom and enoki mushroom. Meanwhile, China exports a large quantity of shiitake mushrooms and shimeji mushrooms," he explained.
Using vigorously active overseas marketing activities, Greenco. exported $12 million worth of mushrooms to Europe in 2011 and expanded its export figure to $14 million in 2012, accounting for a 16.7 percent increase.
"With active support from the Rotterdam branch of Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp. (aT), we are actively promoting Korean mushrooms to European consumers as part of our efforts to increase exports. For instance, we participated in the Milano mushroom exhibition to introduce Europeans to the unique taste of Korean mushrooms with the assistance of the aT branch," the spokesman said.
"We are moving forward towards holding a large-scale mushroom sales promotion event in conjunction with TESCO of Belgium which will showcase a salad made with fresh mushrooms. This will also be conducted under the support of the aT branch," he said.
Korea's exports of king oyster mushrooms to the Netherlands increased from 344 tons in 2007 to 586 tons in 2008, but regressed to 418 tons in 2009 and 369 tons in 2010. However exports began to show signs of rising again in 2011, rising again to 450 tons.
The nation's exports of enoki mushrooms to the Netherlands have been on a steady rise from 83 tons in 2007 to 123 tons in 2008, 96 tons in 2009, 113 tons in 2010 and further escalating to 150 tons in 2011, the highest total to date.
Meanwhile, exports of shimeji mushrooms rose from 44 tons in 2007 to 81 tons in 2008, but slipped to 40 tons in 2008. However, it regained strength to reach 51 tons in 2010 and set a record high with 100 tons in 2011.
Thanks to the effectuation of the Korea-EU FTA, which went into effect on July 1, 2011, the tariff rate on mushrooms was reduced from 6.4 percent to zero percent, making exports far easier and affordable.
Greenco. is now collecting fresh mushrooms from its own mushroom farm and some 10 cooperative mushroom farms for shipment to foreign countries.
Last May, Greenco. held mushroom promotion events in many European regions through its Netherlands-based GMF. In the latter half of this year, it plans to host such promotion events in Lido and Edeka supermarkets in Germany and Tesco in Britain with the cooperation of Smithy Mushroom.
"Our company is putting all of our efforts towards heightening the quality of mushrooms to international standards. We are constantly working on our research and development activities and improving our distribution system in Europe. As a specialized global mushroom producer, we will attempt to provide consumers with high quality mushrooms and services," he added.
In the meantime, aT, a government-affiliated organization, was established in 1967 with the goal of nurturing the food processing industry, stabilizing the supply of primary agro-fishery products, as well as backing overseas expansion of agriculture.
Its efforts over the course of the last half century have contributed to increasing farmers’ income and balancing the development of the national economy.
To date, aT is operating overseas centers in 11 regions located in seven countries; Japan, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, the U.S., and the Netherlands.
It plans to expand this figure to 20 regions in 12 countries in the near future. Overseas centers are implementing various measures to assist Korea’s agricultural exporters.
These efforts include supporting participation in overseas exhibitions, helping to find buyers, and backing the development of products to suit local’s tastes.
On top of this, centers offer basic trade materials for companies who wish to extend their business abroad, but lack the pertinent overseas information to successfully do so.
A series of K-food articles are provided in partnership with Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT)
