Open a mushroom farm
Opening a mushroom farm can be an activity designed to ensure substantial profits, especially if combined with a distribution that, in addition to grocery and retail stores, also includes large supermarkets and restaurants, and perhaps direct sales to the final consumer.
It is a sector that has been very little exploited but where it is possible to find a wide market that you as an entrepreneur can take advantage of to turn it into your own profitable business. Stay until the end to learn more about this idea.
Let’s see how it works.
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How do I start my mushroom farm and make money?
Starting a mushroom farm that generates optimal production requires temperature conditions and above all, humidity that promotes fruiting. As for the temperature, it should preferably be between 14 and 18 degrees; humidity, however, should be around 85%. There is no need to direct heat or direct light, and only a normal brightness (on the other hand in the forest, mushrooms grow well in shady areas).
The substrates, or papers, if preferred, are made with a preparation that includes, among other things, chalk, bran, straw and other substances. Depending on the habitat that is formed, the production times allow you to see the first results already after ten days; each substrate after the first harvest allows you to obtain two or three, depending on the care with which it has been treated and its quality. Once exhausted and since it is not capable of facilitating the production of mushrooms, the substrate can be used to fertilize the garden, or sold.
How does a mushroom farm work?
There are two fundamentally important operational phases: the preparation of the above-mentioned substrates, and the actual production of mushrooms. Closed-loop mushroom farms are those that have to do with operational moments, and there are usually large companies; those who want to open a crop from scratch can, as mentioned, buy a ready-made substrate (also because preparation is expensive and demanding, and requires continuous investments that a small company cannot afford).
Requirements to open my own mushroom farm
Initially you should look for a considerably large area to start the process of growing mushrooms, since their production can affect a significant amount of microorganisms, so we will need an isolated space. You will also need the construction of greenhouses with a good ventilation system, water tanks, tables for planting, conventional refrigerator, truck or vehicle to transport the mushrooms and finally the production inputs, such as mycelium, polyethylene, among others.
Choice of mushrooms: a key aspect is the choice of the mushroom to be grown, where we find options such as: the oyster and mushroom, which are, at present, the most widespread in our country. The Pleurotus in comparison with a mushroom cultivation, is easier and consists of less expensive systems, but is characterized by having a longer cultivation cycle.
Operating permits: for the sale of this type of agricultural products it is extremely necessary to have all the documentation established by the regulatory bodies of new companies and the registration of the name of your business to operate legally and to have all the procedures and documents at the time when you start commercial relations with distribution and marketing companies wholesale and retail.
Remember that the costs and particular processes of this business, depend on the entity and the laws of your area of location, city or country.
How much money will I need?
The initial investment to open the mushroom farm could be between 15,000 and 20,000 euros, the money needed to build the equipped greenhouses where the mushrooms will grow and to buy the necessary substrate production, as well as other products needed for the process; to that figure you should then add the cost of the land, either rented or bought, and possibly also the cost of the fences.
It is necessary to know that, from the legislative point of view, mushroom cultivation is considered agriculture if it is based on the use of fixed; the tax is included in the agricultural income, provided that the production area does not exceed twice the area of the land on which the same production is built.
Tips for opening a mushroom farm
I recommend that before starting you investigate and follow closely the whole process of cultivation to know each phase correctly. In addition, it is important to emphasize the publicity of your business. In this kind of cases I recommend you to be in both traditional and digital media, besides focusing your business on entrepreneurship
to wholesale and retail companies that might be interested in acquiring the product you offer.
Weaknesses: although the process of cultivation and production is relatively simple, it is extremely important to take into account the proportions and portions of each of the products we use, as well as the times and other aspects that are part of the cultivation process, because even if we have all the material, if we do not take into account the processes the production will be spoiled.
Points in favor: it is a relatively simple business whose investment can vary considerably, especially if we take into account that the dimensions of the space can be different, as well as the cost of the necessary materials and in general, the production costs. It is an under-exploited sector that is currently in very high demand with those who are changing their eating habits.
It is a product with a lot of output and that implies an entrepreneur who is passionate about the sector, so if this is the case and you are looking for a profitable business idea, this is the idea you were looking for.
Start your business today.