The shareholders of Bromcraft Holding Co. - owners of the Tunnel Tech group and The Premier Mushroom group of companies in the UK - have announced the purchase of 100% of the shares of Snowcap Mushrooms Ltd. and James A. Gooding Ltd. by Premier.

Snowcap and James A. Gooding are the largest supplier of organic mushrooms in the UK, and are highly respected in the UK mushroom industry. Snowcap Mushrooms have been growing mushrooms since 1967. Spread across three sites in Cambridgeshire and Leicestershire (Yaxley, Woodhurst and Market Harborough) they grow organic white and chestnut mushrooms in a traditional method, using locally grown organic wheat straw as the base for organic mushroom compost.
Premier had already two mushroom farms, one at Southwell and one at Barkston (Grantham).

Completion took place on 16th January 2007 and confirms the desire of both Tunnel Tech & Premier to continue to invest strongly in developing a 100% UK branded mushroom product.   

This commitment by Premier to invest in additional mushroom production facilities will also underpin Tunnel Techs investment in the brand new phase III mushroom compost plant scheduled for construction in Leckford, Hampshire later this year, bringing urgently needed organic and conventional phase III to the south of England, reducing food miles and supporting local and regional supply.

Together with an increase in phase II production at Tunnel Tech North, this will bring total production of Tunnel Tech up to 1,800 tonnes a week, with the main emphasis in phase III production (see also Mushroom Business nr. 18, page 17).

The new management team from Snowcap and James A. Gooding will bring additional skills to the Bromcraft group and will, according to the company ‘share in the passion and desire for a revitalised UK mushroom sector, supporting British food and farming’.  

Bromcraft has also further strengthened its management team having made three senior appointments in Production and Finance at the end of 2006 to assist in this stage of growth and development.