The pocketbooks of health-savvy customers are creating waves in Kennett Square and across Chester County — waves of economic development. Phillips Mushroom Farms has enlarged a packing facility and plans to ramp up production of its varieties of organic mushrooms, particularly whites and baby Bellas, The Produce News reported.

“Consumers are really helping to push this growth,” National Sales Manager Kevin Donovan said in the article. “… Organics are here to stay, and (retailers) are dedicating entire sections just to organics.”

Demand is rising in spite of higher prices, which are a consequence of shortened crop seasons to accommodate not using commercial fertilizers and pesticides.

Read more about the organic mushroom buying trend in The Produce News here, and check out previous Chesco Business Today coverage of the booming mushroom industry here and its history, steeped in immigrant dreams, here.