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FEBRUARY 20, 2002 — Chester County, particularly the southern Chester County area centered around Kennett Square, is synonymous with mushrooms—and rightly so.
Mushroom cultivation in the United States got its start right here in southern Chester County. The area quickly became the Mushroom Capital of the World, spawning many successful mushroom-related businesses.
As the years passed, a common story emerged for many mushroom growers, most of whom were Italian immigrants: families worked together to manage and build the businesses up. Sons and daughters joined fathers and mothers in the family business.
It worked just that way for the Ciarrocchi family.
Today, brothers Charles and Jamie Ciarrocchi are the third generation of their family to be involved in the mushroom business.
Their father, Charles, Sr., founded Modern Mushrooms, one of the country's largest producers of fresh, premium mushrooms.
"It's a family business," explained Jamie Ciarrocchi, a 1981 graduate of Villanova University who found the chance to join his brother and father in business enticing and, ultimately, irresistible.
"I found this to be an interesting and challenging business," he explained.
In 1981, Jamie Ciarrocchi opened Sher-Rockee Mushroom Farms in Upper Oxford Township. There have been four expansions since the company started, just one indication of how the business of mushrooming has been booming at Sher-Rockee's.
There are approximately 70 employees at Sher Rockee Mushrooms who work together to produce a wide variety of mushrooms, including whites, browns, and oysters.
Sher-Rockee's also ventured into the exotics portion of the market several years ago. The company grows varieties of exotics like oysters and shiitakes.
"I think that's a growing segment of our industry. The chefs that do the cooking like the variety when they are preparing foods," Jamie Ciarrocchi explained. "A lot of people are now looking for variety."
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There is no better illustration of the growing popularity of several different kinds of mushrooms than the Produce Department of the local grocery store.
Ciarrocchi noted that twenty years ago, a person could go into a grocery store and find a small display of white mushrooms for sale.
"It's really more of a section now," he explained, noting that most grocery stores now stock a wide variety of mushrooms.
The reason for the increase in the supply of mushrooms at grocery stores is simple: there was a demand from customers for more variety.
"This is a very customer-driven industry," he said. "We're competing against a lot of different produce items."
In October 1997, Jamie Ciarrocchi added an outlet store at the Upper Oxford facility called Rockee's Mushroom Outlet.
'Rockee' is, of course, the mushroom-shaped company mascot that has a prominent role on the Web site at www.sherrockmush.com, as well as the company's signs and advertising.
The outlet is actually the best way to get the freshest whites, criminis, portabellas, or shiitakes available since they are picked fresh daily. Business has been growing steadily at the outlet since it opened.
"That has been a very nice addition to what we do up there," explained Jamie Ciarrocchi. "It has helped us to put a face on the business for our customers."
Ciarrocchi noted that other large businesses in the area, like Dansko's and Herr Foods, also have outlet stores as a way of complementing the regular business.
Having a retail outlet also allows Sher-Rockee Mushrooms to be a little creative. For instance, they created a special pink oyster mushroom for Valentine's Day.
You can even pick up some helpful mushroom recipes, including favorites from Jamie's mother, Mary, and his sister, Pat, who also happens to be one of the region's most popular news personalities because of her work as a co-anchor at KYW-TV in Philadelphia.
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Having a hand in not one but two mushroom farms, Jamie Ciarrocchi can't imagine this area without a strong mushroom industry.
"I certainly don't think we would have had the growth we've had with the industry," he explained. "It's a big benefit to the southern part of the county because it adds to the tax base."
He added that just by bringing additional workers here, the industry helps give a boost to the local economy.
Being a third-generation mushroom grower, Ciarrocchi has learned a thing or two about surviving in the highly competitive and challenging industry.
He said that there are two key components to being a quality producer of mushrooms. The first is in finding a way to grow the best quality mushroom. Freshness and quality are very important to attracting consumers.
The other key component is in keeping up with the technological changes to make the business as efficient as possible.
The mushroom industry is constantly changing and evolving. New growing techniques and technological advancements are always just around the next corner.
Ciarrocchi said that despite the constant state of change, there is blueprint for success, one that has kept the family business alive for three generations.
"If you have committed ownership who will reinvest back into the company for the equipment, the machinery, plus the buildings, and if the ownership invests back in to have a well-trained workforce, you'll end up having a solid business."
After three generations of success, who could argue with that recipe?
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