REDWOOD SHORES, CA - 2018 was a non-stop, action-packed year for the Mushroom Council, and now that the year is through, the mushroom aficionado finally has time to reflect on just what a whirlwind it was. The council completed its first-ever “Blenditarian Challenge,” which included a monthly sweepstakes asking consumers to share their take on seasonal recipes blended with what else: mushrooms! Home shroom chefs could post on social media using the #BlenditarianChallenge hashtag and be entered to win a $250 gift card.

“After years of The Blend taking hold in restaurants, universities, and K-12 schools, the Blenditarian Challenge allowed us to shift part of our focus in 2018 to the home cook, telling us why The Blend is the answer in their kitchens,” said Bart Minor, President and Chief Executive Officer. “We loved the stories and the recipes these true ‘blenditarians’ shared with us and their online communities.”

Each month after the Mushroom Council challenged its fans to create dishes following seasonal themes such as February’s “Date Night Done Right,” May’s “Blended Burgers,” and September’s “Better Bowls,” the council would then select five participants at random to win gift cards. Better yet, at year’s end, the council randomly selected a grand prize winner to win $2,500 and a matching donation to Capital Area Food Bank. 2018’s winner was Mimi Newcastle of Fort Washington, Maryland. You go, girl!

The Mushroom Council reported in a press release that the The Blenditarian Challenge reached an estimated more than 500,000 users online and via social media throughout the year. Online users also posted more than 1,200 #BlenditarianChallenge submissions to Twitter and Instagram over the course of the challenge.

Will 2019 see an even greater mushroom movement as consumers grow their love of blending? AndNowUKnow will keep you looped in to the latest.

The Mushroom Council