- Australian Mushroom Growers

The first ever Australian Mushroom Pitmaster BBQ was held on January 26, 2024 at Nobbys Beach, Newcastle as part of the Beach 5s Australia and New Zealand beach rugby tournament. This groundbreaking event attracted over 2,500 rugby enthusiasts and beachgoers, offering them an unforgettable taste experience.

This event is a first for the AMGA and Australian Mushrooms, and was massive success with award-winning Pitmaster Adam Roberts, who showcasing his skills by bringing his giant smoker BBQ to the event, offering spectators free samples of mushrooms cooked both slow in the smoker and quick-grilled on the BBQ.

To further engage the audience, Adam and his team distributed recipe books, sharing their favourite mushroom BBQ and smoker recipes.

Click the video above to watch the highlight reel, or swipe through the image gallery below.

Key Outcomes of the event include:

Attendance: The event saw a bustling crowd of 2,500, including 700 competitors, over a span of 4 hours.
Mushroom Samples: More than 20kg of mushrooms were smoked and BBQ's, with dishes so popular that an extra 15kg could have been easily consumed.
Versatility: 300 Mushroom Parmi's and 450 Mushroom Skewers were sampled, showcasing mushrooms' versatility to a wide audience.
Engagement: The event sparked meaningful conversations, with interactions averaging over two minutes, indicating an eagerness to learn and be inspired.
Recipe Inspiration: 1000 recipe books were handed out, encouraging attendees to embark on mushroom culinary adventures at home.

This event successfully showcased the versatility and appeal of mushrooms, engaging a diverse audience, from rugby fans to beachgoers. By cleverly marrying traditional BBQ with bbq and smoked mushrooms, we promoted the nutritional and taste benefits of mushrooms but also opened the door to new recipe inspiration for attendees. This event highlighted the effectiveness of experiential marketing in shifting consumer perceptions and fostering a deeper appreciation for mushrooms as a delicious, healthy and versatile food choice.

The event is part of the Hort Innovation funded marketing program Experiential Product Sampling and Events (MU22503).