BLANDON, PA - Make room on the dinner table, because Giorgio Fresh Co. is bringing a new kind of stuffing to the Thanksgiving feast. The supplier is stocking shelves with its lineup of stuffed and dried mushrooms ahead of the food-centric holiday, and I had the chance to talk with Giorgio’s new Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Bryan Shelton, to learn more.

“Mushrooms are a hot item during the holidays, as they are very versatile and easy to include in dishes that lend themselves well for entertaining,” he told me. “Stuffed mushrooms are popular with consumers for holiday gatherings, especially because of their convenience. People can focus on entertaining rather than stress over cooking in the kitchen.”

Consumers can simply heat and serve these delicious stuffed mushrooms. Giorgio’s six different varieties are full of flavor and cater to many taste preferences. The line of convenient, microwaveable stuffed mushrooms includes:

• Spinach and Artichoke
• Bacon and Cheddar
• Imitation Crab Seasoning
• Fiesta
• Buffalo Blue Cheese
• Mediterranean

As Bryan relayed, stuffed mushrooms aren’t the only products hitting the dinner table come November 24.

“We will also be promoting Giorgio’s line of dried mushroom varieties. Consumers can experience many delicious flavors by experimenting with dried gourmet mushrooms, as they can be substituted for fresh mushrooms in most recipes where mushrooms are cooked,” Bryan stated. “Giorgio’s Dried Mushrooms are available in the following varieties: Whole Shiitake, Chanterelle, Black Trumpet, Lobster, Morel, Oyster, Porcini, Portabella, Shiitake Sliced, Northwoods, Soup Blend, Stir Fry, and Wood Ear. Dried mushrooms are excellent to use in stuffing and dressing for the turkey!”

Point-of-sale materials are great tools for getting consumers to think about the versatility of mushrooms. The GiorgioFresh.com website has an arsenal of hundreds of recipes showcasing mushrooms in various ways.

“We also have cookbooks, including a holiday-centric cookbook that highlights recipes that are especially wonderful to prepare for a holiday gathering. This can be downloaded from our website and can be used by retailers on their own digital platforms,” Bryan continued.

Consumers are always looking for easy and versatile recipes that are simple to make, as Bryan explained. Mushrooms lend themselves to this as they are a healthy, low-calorie, tasty, easy-to-use, recipe-versatile, and substitutable ingredient for many dishes.

“They lend themselves well to work with plant-based lifestyles and also work with meat as part of the growing ‘trend to blend’ which allows consumers to add even more nutrition to their meals,” Bryan concluded. “Many retailers are already promoting the health attributes of fresh mushrooms, but there is plenty of room to reinforce that message. Over the past few years, consumers have focused even more on healthy alternatives. Millennials are an important group to follow for emerging trends, and they are seeking foods that are full of vitamins and minerals.”

Will mushrooms be gracing your Thanksgiving table this year? That is the question to pose to consumers as they peruse your aisles over the coming week.

Giorgio Fresh Co.