Windmill Farms CEO Greg Ogiba says a recent trip to Mushroom Days 2026 in the Netherlands highlighted a growing global challenge: As geopolitical instability and inflation squeeze household budgets, the mushroom category is feeling the pressure of shifting consumer priorities.
While mushrooms have long been a produce aisle favorite, Ogiba notes that current market conditions have transformed them into a nice-to-have item rather than a must-have one for many shoppers. This shift, coupled with a significant generational handoff, has created a challenging environment for growers.
Bridging the Generational Gap
“The older generations that kind of grew up on mushrooms are leaving the category for various reasons, and the next generations — millennials and Gen Z — aren't stepping in to fill the gap,” Ogiba says.
With this change and with inflation reducing consumers' disposable income, some shoppers have begun to see mushrooms as a “staple that's nice to have,” instead of something they need to have, he adds.
“Disposable income is lower, so they're making cutbacks, and then you have the demographic shift,” he says. “Those two things are sort of merging and, unfortunately, creating a difficult environment for certain fresh produce categories.”
Ogiba says mushrooms' very nature also makes it hard to find a spot in consumers' snacking habits.
“I think mushrooms have sort of something of a natural disadvantage,” he says. “They're super perishable. They're not easy to throw in ... a lunch box.”
Unlocking the Breakfast Opportunity
Ogiba says the mushroom industry has a huge opportunity to win those younger generations with education and focus. He points to Australia as a success story, noting that country's mushroom industry has stabilized consumption and added programs to bring mushrooms to the plate at breakfast.
The Mushroom Council has partnered with chef and actor Matty Matheson to help bring new energy to mushrooms; Ogiba points out that Matheson makes a mushroom breakfast burrito in a recent video.
“I'll make the argument that it's better for breakfast, because it just makes you so full and it has great nutrition and energy that gets you through the day,” he says. “Breakfast is the key, but how do you unlock that in North America? I think it's an area worth investing in.”
While vegetables at breakfast might be a bit of a foreign concept for Canadian and American consumers, “it's a brilliant life hack to that leads to a healthier physical and mental life,” he says.
And the mushroom, Ogiba says, has a serious opportunity to tap into its superfood powers to grow consumption.
“I am biased, but it's just an incredible superfood, and that's the main message I can get across — for people focus on it. If they're really serious about being health-conscious, [mushrooms] should be part of the diet,” he says.
Ogiba says the Mushroom Council's videos help highlight mushrooms' ability to fit within different flavors — whether that's Asian, Mexican or other cuisines — as a nutritious ingredient.
“That's the messaging that we're trying to get out there as an industry,” he says.
Exotic and specialty mushrooms have drawn favor at restaurants, Ogiba says, adding that the industry also needs to help the consumer understand how to better utilize these emerging mushrooms. Again, the Mushroom Council's videos with Matheson have helped shine a light on these new trendy mushrooms.
“I think it does create a lot of buzz around the category, and there are like really wildly healthy attributes of all these specialty mushrooms and a lot of restaurateurs love it,” he says. “The harder part is, how do you educate the consumer at the retail and supermarkets? How do you educate them in terms of what it is and what you can do with it?”
Windmill Farms has hired chef Jeff Crump to promote mushrooms' versatility.
“Even for me, being in the mushroom business, I've seen things that I just never would have imagined you could create with mushrooms,” he says.
Maximizing Visibility and Value
And then, Ogiba says, the challenge comes from taking the buzz that younger generations might have seen mushrooms on social media and carrying that process from retailer to the consumer. He explains that one way is to make sure mushrooms have a prominent and visible place in the produce department with signage touting mushrooms' benefits.
“We've seen some retailers have success with point of sale,” he says. “It doesn't have to be overly complicated, but just a simple message of how healthy and versatile mushrooms are at a fair price is enough to move the needle on consumption.”
Ogiba says the price of protein and the opportunity for vegetables and mushrooms to pair with protein for added fiber might also take a hit as prices for meats and other proteins rise.
“We've spoken to a lot of retailers about how to do more summer promotions with grilling season, add mushrooms to your burger,” he says. “If you want to go all in, eat a portobello burger, which has, you know, a decent amount of protein and a ton of nutrition, potassium and vitamin D.”
Ogiba sees strong opportunity to increase consumption in a crowded produce department.
“For a complete meal at the dinner table, mushrooms should really start to come back toward the center of plate, so to speak, rather than being a staple nice to have.”
The Case for the Family Pack
Ogiba says value packs offer a unique opportunity and have experienced positive growth. Traditional retailers have introduced a 24-ounce mushroom pack.
“If you have a household of three or four, you get better value. And if the household's only purchasing mushrooms once every three or four visits to the supermarket, it makes a lot of sense to sell a family-size pack or a club pack rather than the 8-ounce, which is kind of the standard size,” he says. “You just don't get that much for a whole family once you cook it down.”
Ogiba says consumers can also freeze half to better extend mushrooms' life cycle.
“You throw them right into a hot pan, and once they're out, they retain their original texture,” he says. “It doesn't get rubbery or anything like that. So, that's something my wife will do is buy the big pack size, because you get a better value, and she'll freeze half.”
Efficiency as a Pricing Tool
But a lot of shopper behavior comes down to price, Ogiba says, which is why Windmill Farms and other mushroom growers have adopted technology to improve operations and the company's bottom line.
“That's why we've invested so much in technology to make sure we can produce the most efficient mushrooms anywhere in this region of the world,” he says. “I think that's so important that the retailers appreciate that, and they could then be more aggressive on their retail price to make it more attractive to the consumer.”
Ogiba says it's also important for the mushroom industry to work with retailers to find that sweet spot for pricing that is attractive to the consumer.
“I've seen it with other categories; there's almost like this invisible threshold where consumers just don't see the value, and we're always trying to play with that price point and find out where it is,” he says. “I think a lot of the retailers are doing a really good job trying to find that optimal price point.”
He says Canadian mushroom farms are primed for efficiency. Windmill Farms has an operation in Washington state, and he says when he compares the data, the farms in Ontario outperform.
“I know both farms. I know the economics of the labor and the energy, and it's just more efficient here, period, and the quality is better,” he says.
