Australian Mushrooms Sampling Program Boosts Sales and Consumer Engagement

Hort Innovation Marketing Update March 2025

The Australian Mushrooms in-store sampling program is in full swing, delivering impressive results and encouraging more shoppers to regularly add mushrooms to their meals. Running across Woolworths, Coles, and independent retailers nationwide, the program aims to inspire new ways to cook with mushrooms and increase consumption

Building on the success of the 2023 program, which conducted over 1,300 sampling sessions and successfully converted 71 per cent of participants to purchase mushrooms, the 2024/25 program is already making a positive impact.

Sessions are being conducted in four major bursts, incorporating two summer and two winter recipes – these include:

·      Thai Pork Mushroom Meatballs (Winter)

·      Tapas Style Garlic Mushrooms (Summer)

·      Lemon and Herb Mushroom Bruschetta (Summer)

·      Mushroom Bolognese (Winter)

Burst one – April to August 2024

In burst one, 331 sampling sessions were conducted in Coles and Woolworths stores across NSW, VIC, QLD, SA, and WA, handing out an average of 88 Thai Pork and Mushroom Meatball samples per session. Engagement was strong, with 71 per cent of shoppers that interacted with sampling staff choosing to try a sample. Sales performance was equally as impressive, with 12kg of loose mushrooms and 20 pre-packed mushrooms sold on average per session.

Burst two – November 2024 to February 2025

The second burst of the sampling program saw over 17,500 Tapas-Style Garlic Mushroom samples distributed across Woolworths, Coles, and independent supermarkets nationwide. Sampling staff interacted with shoppers on average 125 times per session, with 70% converting to trying a sample. Sales results remained strong, with an average of 12.2kg of loose mushrooms and 25.8 pre-packed mushrooms sold per sampling session. In total, 201 sessions were completed during this burst, providing plenty of opportunities for shoppers to experience the delicious, rich flavour of Australian Mushrooms.

Upcoming sampling sessions

The third burst of the program is currently live, featuring Lemon and Herb Mushroom Bruschetta in 459 Woolworths, Coles, and Independent stores across NSW, VIC, QLD, SA, and WA until April. As the program progresses, the fourth burst will launch from April to June 2025, shifting to a Mushroom Bolognese recipe and targeting 330 Woolworths, Coles and Independent stores nationwide.

With each burst, the program continues to demonstrate the power of sampling in boosting mushroom sales and consumer engagement. Stay tuned for more updates on its success!