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Australian Mushroom Growers Association

Australian Mushroom Festival 2023

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The first ever Australian Mushroom Festival was held on World Mushroom Day weekend, Saturday 14 and Sunday 15th October 2023.

This event is a first for the AMGA and Australian Mushrooms, and was massive success with over 10,000 + mushroom-loving fans visiting the Queen Victoria Markets in Melbourne for the free family fun event.

Festival gowers stayed for hours to visit Mushroom Alley, watch the Mushroom Masterclasses on stage, and visit the interactive mushroom growing display to talk directly with an Aussie mushroom growers.

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

The highlight of the event was the Mushroom Masterclass stage that featured live cooking demo’s and educational talks by some of Australia’s most exciting foodie talent including Celebrity Chef Miguel Maestre, Simon Toohey from TV show ‘Freshly Picked’, MasterChef Alumni Dani Venn, Chef Jason Roberts, and Melbourne Business of the Year winner Hakim Halim from Ripe Cheese.

Each guest at the Australian Mushroom Festival also walked away with an Australian Mushroom tote bag and a gorgeous glossy mushroom magazine filled with summer entertaining recipes to try at home.

Special thanks go to Georgia Beattie, CEO of Bulla Park Mushrooms, who presented to the crowd on both days of the festival, and Costa Mushrooms who provided the interactive mushroom growing display.

The Australian Mushroom Festival included:

  • Mushroom Masterclass Live cooking demonstrations, hosted by celebrity chefs including Miguel Maestre, Simon Toohey, Dani Venn, Jason Roberts, as well as QVM's own Hakim the Cheesemonger and Australian mushroom grower Georgia Beattie. 
  • Mushroom Alley food vendors that served mushroom dishes such as mushroom truffle and cheese toasties, to mushroom pizza, and mushroom and chive donuts with sour cream.
  • Mushroom Coffee and Mushroom Bar with its very special 'Al Porcini' Draught and 'Fungarita' cocktails to quench the thirst of festival goers.
  • Interactive Mushroom Growing Display - with growing beds thanks to Costa Mushrooms. This was one of the highlights of the festival, for visitors to see first hand the unique growing priess of mushrooms, and talk directly with a mushroom grower.
  • Prize givaways, free mushroom samples, Australian Mushrooms showbags and cookbooks,
  • Live music, facepainter and even a mushroom juggler!

This event was partially funded by Hort Innovation Mushroom Fund marketing levy, and marketing funds from the AMGA. 

For more information about the festival, visit our dedicated website www.mushroomfestival.com.au

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2. Aldi On pack stickers

Partnering with key growers who supply Aldi supermarkets nationwide, 675,000 stickers will be applied to white and brown mushroom punnets, promoting the Scan to Win competition. Last year 2,695 Stickers were scanned via specially marked Aldi mushroom packs, and we are hoping for a greater uptake this year.

3. ‘A Better Choice’ Marketing Partnership

Partnering with A Better Choice we will reach independent grower networks and consumers in a partnership package that includes:

  • In-store activations of 50 Retail Stores Total (NSW, VIC and SA)
    • Activation includes installation and reporting of on-shelf POS items including shelf wobblers, recipe cards, A3 posters.
    • Includes Print and distribution of POS items
  • 2 x Mushroom Retail Store Cooking Events (VIC, SA) – with Celebrity chef Callum Hann
    • A better choice! Sampling Staff Member in attendance
    • Boosting of 3 x Social Media Posts
  • Consumer Magazine Advertising
    • 1 x 5-Page Section in Autumn
  • Trade communications
    • 4 x EDM Features to all A better choice! Retailers
    • 2 x EDM Features in Central Market EDM’s
  • Consumer Communications
    • 8 x Banners Ads in Weekly Consumer EDM
    • 7 x Supporting Recipes in Consumer EDM
  • Social Media & Website
    • Social Media Feature Week
    • 14 x Mushroom Social Media Posts
    • All recipes loaded to ABC Website

 4. Dr. Emma Beckett interview on Australia’s #1 Parenting Podcast

Embracing the podcast phenomenon for busy Aussie parents, Dr Emma Becket, Australian mushroom nutrition scientist from FoodIQ Global, will be interviewed on Australia’s #1 Parenting Podcast Beyond the Bump, to talk about mushrooms important role in children’s nutrition, and how adopting The Blend as a ‘stealth health’ way to reduce meat intake and boost the nutritional value of everyday meaty meals, that kids will LOVE to eat.

 

5. Influencer Marketing –

Targeting foodies, parents and budget conscious consumers, we have locked in some of Australia’s favourite content creators such as @cookingwithalisha @danroberts and @thefoodarrondissemen – who will be creating content across platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. Our aim for this tactic is mass engagement with mass uptake. We want the combined audiences to feel so inspired by the content that they head over to our Blenditarian website, find a recipe and cook it for their family that day!

Other campaign features include:

  • Updated website www.blenditarian.com.au
  • Competition PR strategy
  • Nutritional PR strategy with AMGA Dietitian Jane Freeman
  • Marketing partnership with ‘A Better Choice’ to reach independent grower networks and consumers
  • A hefty Digital Marketing strategy, including:
    • Social ads
    • Google ads and re-marketing
    • Existing 50,000 Mushroom Lovers and Blenditarian database re-engaged
    • Educational email marketing journey
    • New Blenditarian Recipes

Please keep an eye out for a full campaign update via email and in the Winter edition of the AMGA Journal.