Windsor

Great Lakes Mushrooms now offering fresh product on both sides of the border

Great Lakes Mushrooms is a Windsor-based distributor and marketer of Canadian mushrooms in the United States. Recently, they started sales on this side of the border by opening a retail store in their Windsor warehouse.

Windsor Morning's Jonathan Pinto visits the new Great Lakes Mushroom Farms store in Windsor

Denis Vidmar talking about fresh, wild chanterelle mushrooms

9 years ago
Duration 1:40
Great Lakes Mushrooms President Denis Vidmar talks about one of his favourite varieties of mushrooms.

It's not called "Mushrooms R Us," but that's the basic idea behind a new retail outlet in Windsor. 

Great Lakes Mushrooms is a distributor and marketing company that was founded in 2012. Essentially, their business involves taking mainly Canadian mushrooms and selling them across the border under the Great Lakes Mushroom Farms brand. 

Six days a week, thousands of kilograms of mushrooms come into their warehouse on Rhodes Drive in Windsor, and hours later, head to Detroit. Walk into any Whole Foods store in the American Midwest, for example, and you'll find their products.

A few weeks ago, Great Lakes Mushrooms decided to sell on our side of the border by opening a tiny retail store in their warehouse.

The store stocks about two dozen different kinds of mushrooms. Most of the mushrooms are organic and grown indoors on farms around the Great Lakes. Exceptions are are the fresh, wild varieties, which are flown in from the west coast.

I visited the store this week and spoke to Denis Vidmar, the president of Great Lakes Mushrooms. Click on the audio player to hear more.

Jonathan Pinto paid a visit to Great Lakes Mushroom Farms, a Windsor-based distributor and marketer of mushrooms that recently opened a small retail store in their warehouse on Rhodes Drive.

Ready to spice up your mushroom life?

The Great Lakes Mushroom Farms store is located at 5950 Rhodes Dr. in Windsor, just south of the E.C. Row Expressway.

They're still figuring out their permanent hours, but generally, the store is open Monday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

You can also reach them on Facebook or call at 1-855-ORG-MUSH (674-6874).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jonathan Pinto is the host of Up North, CBC Radio One's regional afternoon show for Northern Ontario and is based in Sudbury. He was formerly a reporter/editor and an associate producer at CBC Windsor. Email jonathan.pinto@cbc.ca.