Foodservice outlets of all types and levels have shared in the success by providing customers with mushroom meatless and blended entrees since the Mushroom Council started its Swapability and Swap It and Top It campaigns last year.

And industry professionals -- growers, marketers and others -- are all helping to promote the idea to their foodservice customers of swapping out less healthy, more expensive forms of protein for mushrooms.

East meets West once again for a collaborative approach to the representation of Peruvian asparagus, among other things.

More than most items, Peruvian asparagus is extremely price sensitive at the retail level, according to Peter Warren, category manager for Ayco Farms in Pompano Beach, FL.

Warren, who is the asparagus category manager for Ayco and has been selling Peruvian asparagus for many years, said that every time the retail price drops by a $1 a pound, there is exponential sales growth. “If you sell ‘X’ at $5.99 (per pound), you’ll sell ‘3X’ at $4.99, ‘5X’ at $3.99 and ‘10X’ at $2.99,” he said.

With opening of a state-of-the-art cold storage facility in the Miami area, Crowley Maritime can boast about two top services it can offer to Peruvian asparagus importers: customs brokering and cooling services.

There is no doubt that the downturn in the economy brought about a similar downturn in the foodservice sector as people stayed home and restaurant sales suffered. The rebound has occurred and the foodservice sector is slowly but surely coming back.

Tony Pinto, procurement coordinator for Harvest Sensations, recently characterized the business for The Produce News. “On the foodservice side I think it’s as steady as it goes; business is not way up or way down.”

Frank Ramos, owner and president of The Perishable Specialists, a customs house broker headquartered in Miami, has been clearing asparagus for a long time so he knows this is the calm before the storm.

“Of course asparagus comes in year-round, but we are in a light period right now just getting ready for the seasonal spike that will come in September,” he said.