Postharvest Handling and Marketing

Marketing of oyster mushrooms in the United States is a relatively new enterprise. Since 1984, some farms have seen their production rise as prices have fallen. In the 1996–1997 growing season, growers received about $5.70/kg ($2.59/lb) for oyster mushrooms. From 1997 to 2002, the price of oyster mushrooms has declined an average of $0.22/kg ($0.10/lb) per year to $4.40/kg ($2.00/ lb).

In recent years, the trend for specialty mushroom sales has been toward the retail market (Figure 8). This trend is driven partly by an increased interest in specialty mushrooms and by the convenience packaged products offer to the consumer. In some retail markets, only 10 percent of the customers buy 90 percent of the specialty types.

yster mushrooms typically are packaged and sold at retail in units of 100 grams (3.5 ounces). Often oyster mushrooms and other specialty types are used to highlight the common cultivated mushroom that may be sold whole, sliced, or in bulk. In fact, some purveyors insist that specialty mushrooms should not be banished to a specialty section but should be kept aligned with the mushroom section next to other best-selling produce.

Figure 8. Supermarket display showing various mushroom types,
including oyster mushrooms.

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