Like almost every other in-demand product, ranging from Birkens to Rolexes to even sofas, there’s a backlog and shortage of one of the most prized truffles of all time, the white truffle, scientifically known as Tuber Magnatum pico. Already one of the rarest types of truffles foraged in Europe, prized for its distinct white coloring, veining, and strong scent particular to truffles, bottleneck issues caused by COVID-19 have only further increased the price. So much so, that pricing has doubled, tripled and in some instances, even quadrupled for distributors.
The white truffle’s rarity is only increasing because of not only COVID-19 supply issues, but because in the first place, it’s only in season in the fall and winter. Given that it’s totally wild and foraged, signs of climate change, including hot summers with little rain in northern Italy and other parts of Europe, only shortens an already short white truffle season. In addition, the increasing use of land that traditionally yielded truffles has now become the home of vineyards as the popularity of local wines such as Barolo has also increased.
Simultaneously, of course, demand for white truffles has seemingly increased after 13 months of COVID-19 lockdowns. Pent-up demand for eating out seemingly worldwide, has led to a shortage of workers in the food and beverage industry. It’s led to chefs across the US creating more business for white truffle suppliers as well. The problem is that most truffle suppliers are now working overtime to get the very expensive truffle from overseas.
I’m one of those truffle suppliers and because I was able to anticipate this bottled-up demand for white truffles, I’ve managed to stay ahead of the curve. After all, I’ve been in the restaurant industry for about two decades, even working as a truffle hunter myself, foraging in unusual places to find the difficult-to-find fungi. While COVID-109 has only exacerbated the scarcity of white truffles, it also isn’t anything new to anyone in the industry: for the past few years, seasoned foragers have been unable to find truffles in all the right places.
Unlike many other truffle suppliers in a very cutthroat industry, I don’t chase after short-term profits. I focus on building long-term and quality relationships with mutual trust. The result is that even during white truffle shortages, my chef clients and restaurants continue to choose and rely on me because they know they can get high-quality whtie truffles at fair prices. In fact, for certain Italian restaurants famous for truffles, I have even chosen to sell them white truffles at cost to ensure they can continue to execute their signature dishes.
My clients get their fresh truffles fundamentally farm-to-table because I have also expanded my relationships with truffle hunters from Italy to the Balkans. It took a lot of effort, but it paid off since we were one of the few suppliers with quality fresh white truffles that ended up on the plates of restaurants across the country, ranging from Miami to California to New York. Even other major truffle suppliers had to settle for black truffles, which are more common and worth less.
In contrast to the difficulties other truffle suppliers have faced recently, we will release our Gourmet White Truffle Dust Powder, which has been met with great reviews by chefs and food aficionados across the USA. Its all-natural ingredient list and 70% black truffle content, 5% white
truffle content without any artificial flavors, essences, or substitutes for the true truffle taste, means you’re experiencing unadulterated, raw truffles. That farm-to-table ethos isn’t by accident. I’m deeply committed to continuously sourcing fresh and high-quality truffles, regardless of the circumstances. 2021 has shown how challenging getting back to nature can be, but also how important it is for the world and for our own health. We can guarantee that our truffles are the freshest on the market, going from under the ground to in a chef’s kitchen within 48 hours. Our strong commitment to only the best and freshest is the underlying principle of our truffles and other popular ingredients, ranging from salt, to mushrooms, honey and olive oil. It’s been our recipe for success so far and will continue to be for the foreseeable future.
