During the recent Mushroom Days, a presentation was given on April 23 at De Brabanthallen in Den Bosch regarding the positive results of the three-year European promotional campaign ‘European Mushrooms – the hidden gem’.
Paul Wilson, chairman of the Groupement Européen des Producteurs de Champignons (GEPC), opened the meeting, intended for stakeholders in the campaign, with a call to extend the campaign: “We have our own market, so we have to maintain it.”
Paul Ras (Sense Marketing, in the picture) subsequently gave an overview of the unique campaign on behalf of GEPC Promo, for which nine countries (20%) and the European Union (80%) provided funding. Ras explained that this was an ‘awareness campaign’; there were no direct sales targets. The target group – millennials, Gen Z – were approached via online channels (social media) and events, which, according to Ras, was very successful, with 169 million people reached.
Following the presentation, discussions were held with representatives from Sylvan, Walkro, and BioFungi, among others. Ras, Wilson, and Mel O’Rourke (the newly appointed Ambassador of the Mushroom Industry) urged the attendees and the participating countries to continue with the campaign and not to lose the accumulated knowledge and momentum. Wilson: “An awareness campaign is a long-term endeavor, and EU funds are available. But if we don’t act now, it will not happen!”
The application for a new EU promotional grant must be finalized in the second half of 2026, in order to launch a new, adapted promotional campaign in January 2028. The GEPC members will meet in May to make a decision on this matter.
More about the meeting and the progress can be found in Mushroom Business 137 (June).
