How Japan's Priciest Shiitake Mushrooms Fuel The $740 Million Global Shiitake Industry

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Published 2024-06-30

Japan is one of the leading producers of shiitake mushrooms. These mushrooms are notoriously difficult to cultivate on a commercial scale — especially when using the 1,000-year-old Japanese technique of wood-grown mushrooms. In the US, indoor-grown shiitake sells for upwards of $8 per pound, while forest-grown shiitakes have commanded a much higher price, up to $18 per pound. The most premium shiitake mushrooms are called white flower shiitake, and the forest-grown versions can sell for over $160 per pound. White flower shiitakes have noticeable white cracks on the caps and a strong flavor, but even just a few drops of rain can ruin them completely. Here's why forest-grown shiitake mushrooms are so expensive.

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00:00 - Intro
01:15 - Inoculation
02:58 - Mushroom Hierarchy
04:28 - Challenges
05:28 - Artificial Log Yard
07:02 - Sorting And Drying
09:36 - Shiitake Market
10:31 - Third Kingdom
12:28 - Credits

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#mushroom #soexpensive #businessinsider

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How Japan's Priciest Shiitake Mushrooms Fuel The $740 Million Global Shiitake Industry

All Comments (21)

@K78644 yesterday

I eat them on a weekly basis but never knew they were produced like that!
@KL-un8sf yesterday

Man I love mushrooms so much I’m hungry af now
@wasabigrowersuk yesterday

A great insight into what makes these shiitake so amazing. Wonderful to see Kaz at Sugimoto sharing his expertise and many years of experience to explain why these shiitake really are the best money can buy!
@user-sm2he8gl5b yesterday

Dried mushrooms make a tasty snack! Try it guys
@phirata_food yesterday

맛있겠다❤❤❤❤
@dominiks.4533 22 hours ago

Would have expected a restaurant called "the third kingdom" a bit closer to Germany 😅
@willn8664 6 hours ago

Shiitake is such a great meat replacement. I sometimes make bacon out of them.
@iconofsin1043 20 hours ago

They're sooo gooood!!
@adamd.6698 yesterday

Holy shiitake!! Ok, I’ll let myself out now.
@Megadebt yesterday

Thank you for finally pronouncing it correctly and stopping idiots from making bad jokes.
@RyanL651 2 days ago

Mushrooms are so crazy -- the science behind it and such. Give me any mushroom and sauté it in some butter and oil and it's one of the best things to eat.
@paulspencer2542 14 hours ago

Shame I am allergic to them.
@yerabazhirov 12 hours ago

I’m glad that Americans at least measure age in years, and not burgers
@RuffleCoptah 20 hours ago

DOLLERS
@MegaThunderKitten 23 hours ago

Why retirement homes are so expensive.
@dalbert86 21 hours ago

These comments are a beacon of hope. Thank you, everyone!
@freedo201 2 days ago

Your videos are super interesting
@DayTradingDojo 17 hours ago

I buy them all the time from the asian grocery stores. Its not that pricey.
@Ice_Karma 2 days ago

I don't think I heard them say "shiroi hana" anywhere in the video, just "hana", which means simply "flower".
@TheDeadbirdy 2 days ago

Seven hundred and forty million dollars, this is insane