Venlo, Holland-headquartered Scelta Mushrooms has announced that it is investing EUR 25 to 30 million to build four additional factories in the Netherlands to meet growing global demand for processed mushroom products and vegetable appetizers.
Three plants are expected to be operational this year, with inauguration of the Champi’mer factory already having taken place in September. A fourth facility will come on line in 2017. The combination will make for a significant expansion of production capacity for frozen mushrooms and appetizers as well as shelf stable Ecopouch mushrooms. Furthermore, dried mushrooms are being added to the product range.
A 3-D drawing of Scelta Essenza, part of Scelta Mushrooms, which will soon house operations in a new building at Fresh Park Venlo, opposite the Brightlan Campus.Scelta has high expectations for new mushroom applications and product innovations. It will soon be the first company to start producing dried mushrooms – a product that is traditionally packed in the Far East – in the Netherlands. The location of the factory, a joint venture with Worlée NaturProdukte GmbH, will enable direct access to ample local supplies of sustainably grown, safe and traceable mushrooms.
The capacity increase supports Scelta’s near term goal of boosting annual sales to EUR 200 million. The company’s seven production facilities currently process about 80 million kilos of mushrooms per year into frozen and preserved mushrooms, appetizers and natural taste enhancers. This is equal to about 30% of the total mushroom production in the Netherlands, which ranks as the fourth biggest mushroom producing country in the world.
The Scelta team will be on the scene “talking mushrooms” at Stand A029 in Hall 4.2 during the October 7-11 Anuga food fair in Köln, Germany. Visitors are welcome to stop by to see and sample mushrooms in multiple presentations – from soups and salads to snacks and immune system supporting extract powder.
