American-Farmed White Truffles Were Almost Impossible. That's Changing. | WSJ Operating Costs
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- čas přidán 13. 05. 2024
- American truffle farmers have struggled for years to grow the valuable crops in America. But Burwell Farms in North Carolina has found a way to consistently harvest up to 120 lbs of white truffles per acre. It required a scientific breakthrough, years of tree cultivation and some highly trained dogs.
WSJ visited Burwell Farms to see how they built their American truffle business.
Chapters:
0:00 The value of truffles
1:05 The greenhouse
3:08 The young orchard
4:09 The main orchard
6:29 The cleaning/processing facility
#Truffles #Food #WSJ
on.wsj.com/3xh8fAZ
In truffle hunting rivalries, some dogs pay the price as some hunters poison one another’s dogs with tainted snacks. Read more about the dangers that some of these dogs are in when searching for truffles.
Why can't doggo smell poison, or understand not to eat food/treats not given be the owner?
That's disgusting!
@@wannabeprettysoul probably because it's also scentless to them, or the scent of the snack overwhelms the poison.
But training the dog not to eat anything not given by the owner (or anything random) is probably the best method
@@unconventionalideas5683, Yes, it's despicable and should be discouraged.
I would pay at shot to train a pup to be a truffle finder.
Some poisoning dont have scent. I have trained puppies for detection of everything i can think of but this. I'm up for the challenges!
Nowhere do the mention what they taste like. As an Italian from Piemonte, I would be interested to know how they compare to the precious Alba truffle, which grows on the roots of poplars and oaks, and is of the species Tuber magnatum. The taste is what makes them so special.
0:26 she mentions it generically, but it would be interesting to see a more detailed comparison.
Anolaana: yes! She mentions the smell, and if you look at the pattern on the cut surface, it is quite different. The Italian tuber has much smaller whorls. I think I will try it the American one!
no they dont it was all business I am a bio cultivator and a gourmet chef there was zero mention of culinary value, general ratings aside from relative ripeness of sclerotium (what a truffle is) @@Anolaana
My gourmet society tasted and ranked truffles from Alba,australia, usa, Croatia and China. USA has the best truffles in our testing, followed by alba,Croatia, aus. and china.
Interesting Kevin. What is your society and did you taste white or black truffles or both?
My first truffle experience was at the pricey ($80 in 2024) Wynn casino buffet in Vegas where they served it with pasta, looking somewhat like the Alfredo sauce but was much better. With each bite, the rich flavors of the white truffle shaves and pasta mingled on my tongue and tasted so good that I had to pause and savor it. Oh yeah, it is something extraordinary, not something ever in my kitchen at home. The memory of that sumptuous buffet, with its unforgettable truffle pasta and succulent prime beef, remains etched in my mind.
you had truffle at a buffet? yea...that wasn't real truffle.
@@bvbxiong5791the Wynn is a luxury hotel, not a Chinese buffet
@@SouthPeter98still… they usually use truffle oil or other “truffle products” which are really just made using the chemical compound that gives truffles their distinct aroma. Unless you see decently big shavings of truffle on the top of your dish, they’re most likely using truffle products (usually oil).
@@Alex-kf5oz exactly. The business isn't "scamming," they are running a buffet. They are not going to use ACTUAL shaves of truffle if a person is at a buffet 😂 it would not be fresh, regardless, and there's always the chance that it would not get eaten since it is the buffet-style of eating.
It isn't an insult to the hotel, it's being objectively honest about how a business runs. They aren't going to throw gold onto food that might not get eaten, and even if they DO, they aren't using actual goal. It's imitation 😂
@@JuanAppleseed-ge6tb yup.
reminds me of the ginseng days, where everyone started growing it, drove the price down and many went out of business not many left in Wisconsin growing ginseng
at least people could and would use truffles to cook if it became a mass market item. It is in the unique position of both being extremely rare and having a sought-after flavor, so I'm sure it will still have a market, even if it is mass farmed in the future.
My great grandfather made his fortune growing ginseng in the late 1800- early 1900s. Was able to buy all his children farms- and there were 10 of them.
I appreciate that this is a use of space that preserves forest cover. Even if they aren't truly wild it's better than a warehouse
Such a unique business. Way to make it work
Thanks for the video I love finding video's like this very fun, positive, a great learning experience, and the science behind it all is really cool.
Amazing video, the algorithm finally got me to a video that I've been hunting for.
The trees are beautiful and needed.....truffles are an acquired taste. I call this a win/win situation. : )
This is AMAZINGGGGG i never knew where truffle comes from!!
"it has the flavor of garlic, parmesan, soysauce"
*$1700 per pound*
me: ... okay? *checks garlic price*
This is a pretty simplistic take. She is just using familiar ingredients people use to describe the flavour of the truffle. It is still going to have its own unique flavour that you can't replicate. If you could replicate it easily, these wouldn't be as expensive as they are.
@@michaelmcandrews9474 Eh, sure. If you wanna eat a $1700 a pound for a food that tastes like garlic, soy sauce and parmesan, go for it.
Pure gold has the look of pyrite, copper and brass. Diamonds have the appearance of quartz, cubic zirconia, moissanite...
@@michaelmcandrews9474 Yeah just add garlic, parmesan, soysauce and you get your truffle taste for 20 cents. If youre really crafty you can ballpark the flavor of a lot of things.
*"garlic, parmesan, soysauce", Easy enough to whip up at home!"*
Impressive work, these truffle dogs are amazing! 🐕🦺
Direct inoculation of the soil with fungus spores or mycorrhizal inoculants is a common practice in truffle cultivation. You could also use beneficial symbiotic nematodes.
Using a $35 Cuisinart kitchen scale to weigh truffles that sell for potentially hundreds of dollars per ounce seems absolutely wild.
A scale's a scale (as long as it was calibrated correctly)
That price will plummet once the volume increases, classic econ 101
Maybe. But they will become more available to the regular person. Right now they likely have to be imported.
Props to these farmers
Very interesting documentary, thanks. Truffle infused Kraft Diner FTW!
Wow! I didnt know we had them here!
I can't believe they are growing truffles on conifers. As I understood it, the trees have to be oak or some other such leaf tree and there can't have been conifers growing in the soil there for the last 50-100 years or something. Looks like these truffles growers are limeing the soil to lower ph and conifers usually can stand more acid than leaf trees, so that part makes sense. Fascinating. There is good video on beginner scent training for puppies on CZcams and around. I love to train a truffle dog.
Liming reduces _acidity_, increasing pH (pH as a scale goes up when acid concentration decreases). Apparently conifers are good hosts for fungi and bacteria, according to Dr Bryant Redhawk. These break down calcium-containing minerals, which can be used by the tree. So as a result of that, I guess conifers and truffles might be symbiotic.
how long does it take to train a truffle dog? and is there a reason Americans use dogs and Europeans use pigs?
@@JuanAppleseed-ge6tb Europeans use truffle dogs rather than pigs these days. They like to use that Italian poodle looking dog, the Lagotto Romagnolo, but you can certainly use other breeds and they do. Medium to small probably better so they don't destroy the truffles too much when they dig. I have no idea how long it takes to train a truffle dog, but you have to raise a dog up and a two year old dog has a lot to learn. I would say years, especially for the more delicate sub-points of the task. It will vary from dog to dog and how old the dog is when starting, too.
Fungus can grow just about anywhere and on anything. Sure it’s more about the conditions not the species of tree.
@@lookingbehind6335 Truffles grow synergystically on the roots of the tree, so the type tree is an important condition. Chanterelles spores need to be implanted on oak trees much like truffles, but appear above ground when fruiting. Fungus species really vary, and different conditions for different fungus is really true.
This is a dream business, right? It's a very long term investment, creating a lot of value, demanding highly competent and, therefore, also well paid workers. The whole value chain is what we want in our agricultural sectors.
Except- the average consumer can't afford something costing $1k an ounce, we would starve.
I have eaten black truffles which are the cheaper cousins to white truffle. I ate these truffles at a restaurant close to the North Italian border. Honestly these truffles taste like dried mushrooms that have been soaked in soya sauce and then smoked. Its an interesting flavor but I didn't see that magic in it because I have experienced similar flavors in Asian cooking. As a North American exposed to a myriad of flavors it wasn't really a "magical experience" and wasn't worth the high price I paid for the pasta truffle meal. Then again I am not some kind of expert or food connoisseur to make a professional opinion and I am not ready to dish out the money for even eating a white truffle. I commend these farmers for putting so much effort and work into this business because they can provide a quality product to a market that's having a truffle supply shortfall due to global warming and the abuse of wild truffle habitats. I don't foresee these farmers going out of business any time soon or the market being glutted by their products. A lot of time, effort and finances have been put into this business and their rewards a definitely deserved. If they can sink so much money into farming truffles they should also try aqua culture with Caspian surgeon to try and make a premium caviar that goes along with it as well.czcams.com/video/88aDJFdUjH4/video.html
I am thinking new reality show "Truffle Wars " !
gfy
I saw a reality show on TV about American truffle hunters a few years ago. I don't remember the name of it, but I'd guess you could find it with a search.
Interesting video, awesome that they made it possible to grow trees infused with the spores and also sell them. I got a bit confused regarding the dogs, Lagotto (Romagnolo?) is a pretty common dog and atleast where my dad hunts truffles (Gotland, sweden) with his... they are at an absolute max 2500$ and more like 500-1000$. Maybe it is costly to import them to US but it seem a bit pricey. Fun thing happened: My dad is a good firend with one of the breeders and also has a truffle hunter "company" and when he brought me there for coffee they had recently finished one day of hunting, there were like 20 big plastic boxes stacked on the porch with truffle (dirty, just dug up). I was like "ok, people are very trustful here on this farm, thats alot of money". I recommend a trip to Gotland, as a tourist it´s a nice place but if you like whisky, beer and lamb meat, and truffle, you will thrive!
The price is for a trained dog, not just a puppy of that breed.
Given they are growing on loblolly pines instead of oak , poplar, beech, etc. The Oregon white truffle grows on Douglas fir, and is also farmed. They don’t have the same quality, depth, or complexity of flavor of a European counterpart. There a a few US farms in Oregon growing imported inoculated European truffle trees- given a different terrior, one would assume different flavor profile even for these. There are many truffle varieties associated with different trees in various states. They never say they are actually growing the European white truffle, which is the gold standard. So they have developed A truffle that can be commercially grown on the east cost on fast growing trees large numbers - an important business for selling to the masses, like a commercially grown tomato, but assuming, it’s just not the same thing…
What kind of evil would even concieve of the thought of deliberatly harming a working dog?!
I have seen documentaries about truffle searching.
One guy was on his 12 dog.
6 or so were poisoned.
People blamed him continuing to work for his likelihood.
The truffles are so valuable. -Imagine the value of an iPhone buried inside a forest and it just needed to be picked up. I can see, how that could cause trouble and conflict between people.
In a word, greed.
Amazing
Was hoping to learn more about the science. There are two reasons that truffles are rare:
1) certain trees need them in order to live. That is, the truffles provide nutrition to the trees and the trees provide nutrition to the truffles., This, however, happens only when the trees are stressed enough to have to have help to survive. A tree that gets all its nutrition from healthy soil or has enough sunlight is unlikely to need truffles. So, these trees, or the soil, are somehow being stressed enough to cause the truffles to grow but not enough to either endanger the tree or the truffle. The science of how this is done wasn't mentioned.
2) Truffles procreate through animals eating them and pooping them out. That is, animals and truffles have coevolved to need each other. The truffles smell and taste delicious to many types of animals. But, when the truffles are eaten, they go through a process of transformation in the digestive process. This, also, wasn't mentioned in the video. Specifically, how this is recreated in a lab setting.
As a farmer, I'm pretty sure he has the trees on a water schedule which stresses them (like tomatoes), as far as the second point, I'm also pretty sure that is their proprietary process they are "keeping to themselves".
No one is going to tell you how this proprietary process works, it's worth millions of dollars.
Truffles do not need to go through the digestive tracks of animals
@@Jdizzle-lv6of You're right -- and I'm wrong. The spores go through the animals without being processed in the digestive tract.
@@posthocprior which isn't required for truffles to reproduce
Idaho has been growing truffles since 2010
Apparently its really easy according the patent JPH10127164A and fruits within 2 months
Same in BC.
@@EzilySpeeddepends on species
I knew Oregon has been growing them for a while. Idaho is news to me though.
We used to have blue oyster mushrooms but now they're mostly yellow because somebody is propagating them somewhere. Will truffle spores escape to my woods? I hope so.
4:12 min per 2-acre lot, there are 1,092 trees, i.e., 546 trees per acre.
Why does the thumbnail look like Jabba the Hutt dressed as Batman eating a truffle?
The same reason that cloud looks like a rabbit.
Now I can’t unsee it
Just scratching the surface of storytelling and video experimentation. VideoGPT seamlessly integrated into my process, subtly refining my content with its magic touch.
The parallels of truffles and cannabis extended beyond cost apparently.
How does he prevent pine beetles from destroying his pine trees?
How much?
Time for lab grown Truffles to bypass the whole tree root process.
Weed costs more per oz at the dispensary.
That's not what the grower makes
Depends on the dispensary.
Mostly because of the state's supplemental fees and taxes as well as limits placed on the number of private producers, the size and location of the private farms, location and number of private dispensaries, etc. Prohibition of interstate commerce - another regulation - further limits business reach and economies of scale. These are all marketplace barriers and barriers increase cost.
The 'scarcity' of legal cannabis is by and large a state construct. The state squeezes the producers and sellers and fleeces the consumers. Ker-ching.
This does not apply to private, farm-grown truffles because one does not need to obtain special permission from the state to grow, distribute, and sell. Its price is based on genuine scarcity, i.e. supply and demand, and not artificial constructs.
In some states, for example Oregon, a person must obtain a licence from the state to hunt for truffles on state-owned land. Fees are applied to the amount harvested.
This channel is so inspiring! Thank you for your transparency. I had to end my business after having a baby but you guys are definitely helping me get my head back into the game. Keep winning
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A recession as bad as it can be, provides good buying opportunities in the markets if you're careful and it can also create volatility giving great short-time buy and sell opportunities too. This is not financial advice but get buying, cash isn't king at all at this time..
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Thank you for sharing your positive experience! I've been contemplating seeking the guidance of a financial expert myself, but I wasn't sure where to start. Do you have any recommendations on how to find a reputable financial advisor or firm? I'm particularly interested in someone who can provide personalized advice and help me develop long-term strategies for financial growth. Any insights you can offer would be greatly appreciated!
These ''truffles'' must be for people that have so much money they are looking for ways to spend it. Imagine spending a few hundred dollars just eating lunch.
Truffle has an incredibly strong flavor. A little goes a long way, much like saffron. An ounce of premium saffron is also quite expensive, but the few threads needed to make a dish only costs a few dollars. Same thing for truffles, a few ultra-thin slices weigh very little and add perhaps 10 dollars to the cost of a dish.
Do they have the same taste as wild truffles?
“Proprietary” lol you can grow these in mass according to this patent from Japan 1997 JPH10127164A.
1. A patent is a legal protection for a PROPRIETARY process. When you have a proprietary process or invention you want to protect you file a patent.
2. Filing something as a patent is easy, making it work and finding commercial success is the difficult part. I have never seen a Japanese farmed white truffle for sale, they should be flooding the market given their 20 year head start if it was that easy.
Nice
Why trees r in square pattern? If adjacent rows r staggered then it will be triangular pattern. Triangular pattern give more space above and below ground.
North Carolina: Always winning
Grear report |
As soon as I saw those truffles being washed with water, my heart broke. You don't wash them, you brush them otherwise you loose most of the flavours
Is there a business plan available to copy their truffle business?
Just hack their systems…which I’m sure someone has, but they won’t realize it for 5-10 years when competitors are everywhere driving prices down
@@trentbateman Several states already have decent size truffle operations. The only thing I would say is unique is they have essentially franchised it. The other operations in the states are for profit for themselves only. He is doing that as well as selling the option to have your own farm as well.
Very interesting video HOWEVER
With the way they are saying “Over the next Decade”
Is where things become “Dicy”
While I have NO DOUBT that Truffles will be loved by those who already have acquired a taste for them. Look at our current Economic situation.
34 Trillion in Debt
Inflation still rising
Financial Class Warfare
Unsecured Southern Border
Are People really going to be concerned about “Truffles” garnishing their meals if our Country is in Flames?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying “The Sky is FALLING the Sky is FALLING!!!”
I’m saying that I don’t think if I had 100k to invest that this is something I would invest in.
Economy is Booming, Inflation is down, The American People are United and prosperous, Then sure, but the way things are NOW?? Is it going to get better or worse over the next 5-10 years?
If it gets worse (much worse) are Truffles really going to be in High Demand?
America is the land of specialists.
Truffles are a unique commodity and this is how to build a reliable brand👍🎉
can't wait to order my 10 bucks truffle big mac from Macdonald drive-thru
Protip , study advanced mycology and have some very patient capital investors.
Pro tip self psychedelics, you'll make more money
@@nosequiters , meh once you learn to hallucinate reality naturally without psilocybin you've already defeated the purpose of working for money .
@@joshuaherner7315 😂 💰🤣 Thanks for making my day!
Are these used in truffle fries? If so they’re delicious
truffle fries are normally just tossed with some white truffle oil. which is cheap because it's a synthetic flavoring. so, no. these aren't used in truffle fries.
@@jishani1 that’s some BS!
My dad is from Warrenton and trust me, there is nothing but cheap land and red mud.
Time, Effort & Money!
Loblplly pines: 546/acre @$40/tree
Lime and Irrigation: $2000+1500
Truffles generated: 120 lbs/acre
“PTO is limited” Always hurts.
👏👏👏
"it tries to reduce risk by never having two dogs in the same place at the same time"??? How does that reduce the risk of dogs getting poisoned?
I think he was referencing the sickness part not the poisoning part. When one dog gets sick they have other dogs that can work. Not having them there at the same time helps prevent cross contamination as with most general sickness germs they don't last long outside the body.
Hmm. Wonder if they would grow in Oregon.
There must be some research process about innoculation
The thing I will remember most here is:
Loblolly.
The Loblolly Pine is a tree you can only find in natural forests of the American South. If you grew up under a tall Loblolly Pine like I did, you probably were poor, or ‘paycheck to paycheck’ middle class.
And now that very tree is being used to harvest one of the world’s wealthiest favorite flavors. I love the irony.
I just want to know what was going through the head of the first guy to try them.
I see chocolate Truffles on sale at Target for $1.5/oz and they taste really good. Why would anyone pay $1700/lb?
😂
pretty sure i used to live next to a small truffle farm cause why else would you have trees set out like that
Rich people stuff
I ate some magic truffles in Amsterdam. 😉
In Asia we do this technique for 1000 of years 😂
👍💯👍💯👍💯👍💯👍!!!
With so much investment in the inoculation process, I wonder what the limiting factor is in bringing this industry to scale. Why only 10 orchards?
Why do expensive??
WSJ please talk about the out of control OCCUPATIONAL LICENSING for k-12 teachers that's why we have teacher shortages I'm the author of EIGHT DAYS IN AN INNER CITY SCHOOL
I would actually like to try this one day and not the fake stuff at the grocery store like truffle flavored whatever blah blah blah blah, but the real thing I’ll just wait to the world collapses and make my way there. It’s gonna happen this summer.
It’s like caviar the rich claim it’s delicious because it’s expensive but a nice portobello taste better to me
Whoah 😳 this is, like, totally highly conceptually rich and cutting edge video 📸
Hello and thanks from Belarus 🇧🇾😇
Shrinkage....a problem for George and for Truffles. Who knew?
If we producee 1000.times more then we do we would sell it all....man i smell a businesses opportunity
Should go public
A Rich boss of mine treated my family to a very expensive restaurant and order a dessert with truffles. I truly don’t understand the hype or price after tasting it. Just like caviar is a food that’s expensive for the sake of being expensive I can easily live without it.
If we produce x more we will sell it. Yes but supply and demand still dictate price.
Umami is not a flavor. Umami is an expression from the individual tasting something. It's just an expression.
Bottom line, people are willfully stupid to pay such costs for a mere mushroom.
Need a guard I will help
Mmm truffle topped pizza, but I won’t be able to afford it. Cheese it is
Yes and no. There will be a point when you produce so much the price will go down.
I like your content and the facts you share with us, but there’s no need for all the F bombs to get your point across.
Funny they selling truffle by the ounce not grams when it's so high cosy
The rich love to "enjoy" life😊😊
Well companies can't make employees stay. So whatever they know they can go show someone else.
Rich people need to get their lazy butts out there and get their own truffles.
Do truffles hold the key to that the brain develops??? 🧠 it looks soooooo similar!
I wish this guy well, but I think he's nuts to broadcast to the world what he has.
innovative businesses typically don't operate like say a muffler shop. they probably have a patent, or 10. and the goal here is probably to be purchased by someone that will pay a number with lots of zeros. not for the actual business so much as for the patents. and the proof of concept of it working. which they seem to have. and they have a wall street journal video to prove it. smart folks.
He is selling the inoculated trees and the truffles to customers, so he has to advertise his product. If nobody knows what he has, then there will be no orders.
Are u at a curcis.what is that offel music in the background
Loes they are not waiting 7 years
When the dog finds one, does he do a Truffle Shuffle?
Same price as an oz of weed.
USA USA USA
Omdat het Europees is, is het in sommige details nogal typisch Amerikaanse overdrijving. En niet alle correcte informatie die op WSJ zou moeten staan. Prijs is Amerikaans en in Europa 1/2 pde prijs. Het is gewoon een schimmel op sommige soorten bomen. Dus de nieuwe zijn besmet met deze schimmel. Niet alleen in de VS gedaan. Prijzen geven hahahaha... haal een tweedehands.
Talk about something being so overrated! Truffles are just a hype they. They don’t taste that good and I’m not paying $1700 for a fungus! No food is worth that much. If you do like it, it’s merely for indulgence.
Stop putting music in educational videos.. It takes away from the HEARING experience
This technology will ultimately make truffles as ordinary as regular button mushrooms in the future.