Serbian oyster mushroom travels to America - Eko fungi plans export of dried mushrooms and production of mushrooms rich in minerals

Serbian mushrooms could soon become present at tables of American households. Belgrade- based company Eko fungi has been working on the export of dried oyster mushroom to the American continent. Samples have been sent and health regularity analyses have been done.

- That is a big chance for us - Ivanka Milenkovic, director of Eko fungi says in her interview for eKapija. This company received a special Aurea award for the best innovation that our portal presents.

In June 2013, Eko fungi started production of oyster mushroom in line with the new technology. They differ from other companies because in production of substrates for cultivation of cellulose mushrooms, they use cellulose waste and thus decrease electricity consumption for 90%.

It is the first facility of this type in Serbia but also in the world, for production of edible mushrooms in industrial scope, the company says.

Production of cellulose kinds of edible mushrooms is traditionally based on exploitation of straw as raw material for production of substrate which started being unavailable and whose transport costs and electricity consumption costs in production increased to huge extent.

(Ivanka Milenkovic receives the Aurea award)

Therefore, Eko fungi opened a new facility for production of substrates which uses any cellulose material which can be procured within 30 kilometers. The idea of the entire project is that waste does not exist so exploited substrate can be used in feeding animals or as an organic waste. Apart from that, this production can be applied in small farms Serbia-wide and engage a large number of households. The production capacity when using new technology in Eko fungi is some 30 tons of edible mushrooms per year, i.e. processing of some 50 tons of cellulose waste.

We produce nice food

When asked whether they have sufficient capacity to export to America, a director, Ivanka Milenkovic says they produce nice food which is in demand in smaller quantities.

- With the support of our associate who helps us in placement and promotion, we contacted traders who supply large hyper market chains in America which place nice food, first of all.

A collocutor of eKapija explains these are not enormous quantities but she still mentions they are planning to produce 4 tons of dried mushrooms, which requires the production of some 45 tons of fresh mushrooms!

Mushrooms enriched with minerals

In the meantime, Eko fungi continues with innovations. As they say, providing additional value is the only way for a production company in Serbia to operate positively.

(Photo: ekofungi.com)

- This year, we are planning to carry out certification of our products and try to make cultivated mushrooms which will be rich in micro elements such as selenium or magnesium thus offering to the market even better or more quality mushrooms.

Director of Eko-fungi says she has to outline that, although they are rich in minerals, they do not speak about their products as drugs.

- We operate exclusively with food and we are trying to produce so-called functional food.

We are not entering supermarkets

Eko fungi now produces 120 tons of champignons in Padinska Skela per year and with the new facility and technology, production of some 40 tons of oyster mushroom per year is enabled. Mushrooms from the Padinska Skela-based section are served in Belgrade hotel, Hyatt, restaurants such as Hacijenda, Madera, Alo alo, as well as in Belgrade’s bakeries, at Bajlonova market and Zeleni venac.

- We did not enter into trade chains because we do not want to follow their financial business terms. We are focused on small traditional traders with organic food, restaurants with organic food, green markets. Unfortunately, we cannot place our goods in hypermarkets until they function the way they do now – a director of the awarded company said for eKapija.

Jelena Djelic