These days, it is rare to see anyone investing in new mushroom production facilities. Home production has been sliding for 20 years as some growers find it ever more difficult to compete with European imports — the number of businesses involved in mushroom growing has almost halved since 2004. Growers struggling with outdated facilities are being left behind or snapped up by more efficient, streamlined operations. "It's impossible to invest because of supermarket pressure to deliver 'offers' to customers," says one grower. "Until a few years ago, this would just be for a few weeks a season. But now it's 14 weeks plus, which means that I'm basically giving away 25 per cent of my business. How is that sustainable?" In contrast, some businesses are securing the funds to stay ahead. Fiddleford Mushrooms, which has found a unique selling point with its "Grown in Dorset" label, has spent 3m over three years in new growing rooms and kit. Monaghan Mushrooms, which dominates the UK market with an estimated 45 per cent share, acquired Sussex Mushrooms last year and, says chief executive Ronnie Wilson, is planning major capital injection "to bring it up to 21st century standards".
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