DENNY MUSHROOMS: Adding Sustainable Goodness to Every Meal

“Denny is the mushroom expert, and we are passionate about what we do,” neatly summates the mushroom monolith. This much is undeniable: its three hi-tech farms in Cape Town, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng produce half of the total mushroom consumption in South Africa, lovingly tended under perfect conditions and hand-picked to bring all the goodness of this vital vegetable to every South African.

Each of these facilities has a sales team servicing its regional market, with proximity to customers vital to ensuring that the company constantly delivers what has come to be termed: ‘Denny freshness’. “For more than 70 years, Denny has been a proudly South African household name, and today is the number one producer and supplier of fresh mushrooms in the country. When it comes to all things mushroom, our extensive range of products has you covered. From fresh white, brown, and exotic mushrooms to convenient meal solutions, we do it all.

“Because of the carefully controlled quality and perfect freshness of its products over the years, Denny has become the leading producer of fresh mushrooms in South Africa,” the company says, supplier of every second mushroom eaten in the country. “The word ‘mushroom’ is rarely spoken without being followed by ‘Denny’.”

QUALITY PRODUCTS

While synonymous with mushrooms, it is not Denny’s sole focus; a wide range of related food products and condiments have also been lovingly developed over its many years in business. These range from cook-in and pasta sauces to soups and snacks, all bearing the famed quality and freshness which defines the celebrated brand and its ubiquitous blue punnets.

“Thanks to its strong consumer focus and innovative culture, Denny is synonymous with freshness and flavour, and is respected for the reliability of its service and the high quality of its products,” agrees owner Libstar. “Keeping it fresh with the any-time crowd-pleaser in the breakfast, lunch and supper game, Denny is the first mushroom brand every South African thinks of.”

Libstar boasts its own proud legacy, one honed over many years of working with a range of homegrown companies consistently making the most trusted and loved products, and bringing them to South Africa’s shops and dining-room tables. Denny is one of a select few well-recognised brands in South Africa produced by the group and marketed and sold under labels and trademarks that are proprietary to Libstar, or produced, supplied and marketed under licence agreements with the brand owner.

“The Libstar family is motivated to create, work and achieve success through its purpose as a family: enriching people’s daily lives,” summates the group. “Every home and every family strives to uphold a set of values. These values are what we all believe in and try to exemplify throughout our daily lives, to keep us all moving forward with purpose and on the right track.

“Through their world-class manufacturing capabilities, the Libstar family of companies also offers services to some of the most recognised and revered household-name brands and leading companies in the food-service industry in South Africa. It’s not just our own family that places immense trust in our qualities, but also those who form part of our wider circle.”

SUSTAINABLE SUPER FOOD

Denny is known as leader in sustainability in South Africa, a status which drives it to continually work to improve its processes and make them even kinder to the environment. 100% compostable mushroom punnets have been the standard for coming up to three years now, a first among mushroom suppliers in the country and offering a massive boost for sustainable practices aimed at protecting the planet and promoting healthy living.

“Our fully compostable punnet gives us the opportunity to lead the way and do what is right for the environment,” said Denny at the time of the launch. “This initiative supports the wholesome nature of our product and Denny is incredibly proud to be pioneering new ground.” Adding environmentally responsible packaging as an alternative for consumers further reduces the impact of Denny’s processes on the environment, operations which Managing Executive Gerbrandt Rust said already represent a unique blend of recycling, science and efficacy.

“The mushroom cycle is a very sustainable one,” he revealed, as the company draws ever closer to its brand vision of a 360° Health Cycle for the future. “It allows us to remove all the waste produced on farms in wheat and maize production, and take this to then form part of the substrate we make in order to feed and grow our mushrooms. Afterwards, this is then ploughed back into the lands, creating a very sustainable and integrated cycle of which we are very proud.

“Denny doesn’t just add goodness to every meal. We make sure our mushrooms are farmed using responsible, sustainable methods.

“Over the past two or three years we have also really focused on utilising every single piece of fibre that we produce on our farms, and we also prefer to consider the top retailers who we supply as our partners, rather than just our clients, to build a sustainable future together with us for the mushroom category in South Africa.”

It is a drive which has brought about the introduction of many new product offshoots for Denny in recent years, but perhaps most concerted have been the efforts surrounding mushrooms as a meat alternative. It is no secret that mushrooms are one of the best vegetarian substitutes for meat – naturally chewy, they crisp up beautifully and readily absorb sauce. In addition to taste and texture, mushrooms are also an environmentally-friendly swap and they’re generally cheaper compared to their meat counterparts. “Substituting mushrooms for meat can assist in the reduction of meat intake and calories, without sacrificing flavour or nutrients,” Denny corroborates.

Mushrooms are, too, brimming with antioxidants, vitamins and essential minerals such as potassium and selenium, particularly beneficial to men wanting to tackle high health risks such as obesity, heart attacks and prostate cancer. Portabellini mushrooms and white button mushrooms are, meanwhile, especially rich in selenium, an essential mineral key to tissue respiration, as well as containing phytochemicals that are found to specifically suppress breast and prostate cancer.

“The humble mushroom is so much more than an agent of flavour – this is a versatile vegetable packed full of natural goodness and proof that good things grow in the dark,” Denny rounds off of this true contemporary super food. “From farm to table, we take pride in every step of the journey, and continuously invest in infrastructure to ensure quality products and service to our customers and an ingredient which people can trust for all occasions.”