Mushroom business

Growing mushrooms for sale is one of the most lucrative activities in the countryside. Due to its excellent taste, it is in demand, and the high market value allows you to make good money selling champignons.

Growing mushrooms as a business

It is difficult to say whether it is profitable or not to organize mushroom production. This is not an easy task. Champignons are demanding on keeping conditions: temperature, humidity, soil composition. The slightest non-observance of the technology leads to the loss of the crop.

Business has advantages, however:

it is year-round (if you grow mushrooms at home);
champignons grow quickly, which allows you to get up to 5 harvests per year;
you can start with a minimum investment;
high demand;
little competition;
zero waste.

Under favorable circumstances, the profitability of the mushroom business is high - about 50%.

Mandatory minimum: purchase of mycelium and growing substrate. Can be purchased in a ready-made block.
Rent of premises or land, if you do not have your own.
Purchase of equipment to maintain an optimal microclimate.
When expanding a business: paperwork and hiring workers.

Reviews of entrepreneurs allow us to judge that, despite the risks, mushroom growing has prospects. Fresh mushrooms, especially in winter, will find a buyer.

Businessvsele. u recommends some more interesting directions:

Business plan for growing potatoes;
We grow greens for sale;
How to start a greenhouse business from scratch.

Champignon growing technology

You can often come across information that the business idea of growing mushrooms, such as oyster mushroom and champignon, is simple, cheap and profitable. A mushroom can really grow on its own, a home basement is suitable for this, and technological details will be learned in the process, but such an idea will not become a business. Without investments, skills and special knowledge, it will not be possible to grow even champignons, and even more so oyster mushroom or shiitake. There will be no yield or return. It will remain just a small hobby. Also, recently we wrote about the beekeeping business idea.

Investments: 950 thousand rubles
Profitability: 3.6 million per year
Calculation of payback: 3.5 months
Staff: 3 people

How to grow mushrooms at home - in a greenhouse or in the ground

The most important thing to understand is that an idea has to be a passion, otherwise it will never work. More than anything else, you should be delighted with the successfully growing mycelium and the beauty of the type of mushroom chosen for the business. You will be proud of your products, but before that you will face a lot of work to grow champignon or oyster mushroom:

you will actively work physically to grow your crops;
you will spend time growing 24/7;
you you will have to sacrifice your personal life;
this business is associated with financial costs;
profitability is high when working on a large scale;
you cannot go on vacation until get an employee.

For the amateur growing method, you need a climate when 6 months of the year or more pass frost-free, a home basement and a scrupulous attitude to cultivation.

In the open cultivation method, the soil is protected with a film or roofing material from overheating, and the mushroom is protected from direct sunlight. The greenhouse also needs protection from direct sun:

grooves 0.6 m wide and 0.3 m deep are prepared in the ground;
the distance between mushroom holes should be 0.2 m;
the bottom is covered with drainage 0.1 m thick;
the grooves are filled with prepared compressed compost;
5-7 days later, the mycelium is laid, slightly pressing with the raised compost.

The mushroom, when grown, needs moisture and natural ventilation. Under favorable conditions, mycelium growth will be noticeable in a week.

Business idea strategy for growing mushrooms - oyster mushrooms and mushrooms

In order to separate entertainment from the idea of the enterprise, next we will consider an approach involving an agronomist-technologist and workers with professional experience in growing oyster mushrooms and champignons, or at least knowledge.

Small businesses are increasingly turning their attention to growing mushrooms. This is facilitated by an increase in the consumption of mushroom products by the population all year round. Many people do not want or simply cannot spend time picking and salting mushrooms. Plus, most people don't know which mushrooms can be picked and eaten, and which can't. It is for these reasons that mushrooms never stagnate on store shelves and among those who started mushroom growing as a business.

How to grow mushrooms at home and turn it into a profitable business?

To start growing mushrooms at home and open your own small business, you need a certain amount of money and effort. And also:

draw up a business plan;
you will need to organize a place where the mushrooms will actually grow. In addition, you will need a special compost for mushrooms and mycelium;
then you will need to opt for mushrooms that you will grow;
, of course, registration of an entrepreneur with the appropriate authorities;
will immediately need to start looking for a way and place to sell mushroom products.

What is required to get started and what are the costs?

When all the preparatory stages have been passed, you can start directly with mushroom cultivation. As mentioned above, you will need compost and mycelium, regardless of which mushrooms are grown. Compost and mycelium are available for purchase. The approximate cost of mushroom compost ranges from 17 to 40 rubles per 1 kg. Mycelium is more expensive than compost.

If you do not want to spend money on the purchase of these components, you can cook them yourself.

Preparing compost for growing mushrooms:

take horse manure and straw in equal proportions. Mix all this and place in a large container. For 7 days, moisten with water daily and stir. This will make it possible to activate chemical and biological processes;
add chicken droppings here. It will help to increase the nitrogen content of the compost mixture;
gypsum should be added along with the chicken manure. Gypsum will reduce acidity. Which will rise after adding chicken droppings;
after 10 days, the resulting mass must be placed in a composter. The output will be a dark brown mass.
then you need to withstand the mass in a special chamber. The temperature should be around 55-58 C.

This is how compost is produced. The mycelium can also be prepared on its own, but this will require almost laboratory conditions. Therefore, it is better to purchase it from those who produce this component. The average price of mycelium ranges from 100 rubles per 1 kg.

Important! Compost production can also be profitable if marketing is organized.

Which mushrooms are the most profitable to grow?

Mushrooms are one of the most popular foods in Russia. Some people like to collect them in the forest, while others prefer to buy them in stores. Therefore, mushroom growing as a business is becoming more and more popular. To create it does not require any special knowledge or large investments, so this direction is one of the most profitable options for small businesses.

Pros and Cons

Growing mushrooms as a business has a number of advantages that distinguish this direction favorably.

You do not need to have special knowledge and special skills to create it.
Mushrooms are easy to care for.
No expensive equipment required for production.
Strong demand and stable income.

But like any line of business, this has its drawbacks.

Certain varieties of mushrooms do not yield fast crops.
Finding quality mycelium is important.
It is necessary to create and maintain the correct microclimate.

But with proper organization of production, you can ensure good yields and stable income. How to start growing mushrooms as a business?

What mushrooms should you grow?

One of the important points of a business plan is to decide what kind of mushrooms you will grow. There are several cost effective options.

White mushroom is one of the most demanded and valuable species. It is included in many dishes, therefore it is in high demand. But at the same time, it is quite difficult to grow a porcini mushroom, because it grows near trees in a garden or forest. And in greenhouses, you need to create conditions that are as close to natural as possible.
Oyster mushrooms are also a popular variety and the easiest to grow. Oyster mushrooms need a large area, and the monthly harvest can reach 14 kg. Oyster mushrooms contain many useful and nutritious substances.
Champignon mushrooms are one of the most expensive varieties. To grow them, you need to purchase compost; there is also high competition in the market with other producers. And you need to purchase champignon mycelium from specialized companies.
Shiitake is an exotic variety of mushrooms that is popular in the East. It is mainly bought by Japanese restaurants. But with its popularization, more and more people want to learn how to cook Japanese dishes on their own, so these exotic mushrooms appear in supermarkets. Shiitakes have medicinal properties and are much more expensive than other varieties. But the disadvantages include the fact that their production is not debugged, and the mycelium is brought from abroad, it is expensive. Therefore, the prime cost turns out to be high, but if there is a sales market, then the profit will be large.
Truffle is a delicious mushroom. Its peculiarity is that it grows in forest soil at a depth of 30 cm. Therefore, to grow it, you need to rent a large plot of land, acquire an expensive mycelium. Truffles do not grow as quickly as other types of mushrooms. But the cost is also high.

Regardless of which variety you choose, the main thing is to create suitable conditions for growing them.

Prerequisites

There are important requirements that must be met to grow mushrooms.

Growing oyster mushrooms is suitable for those new to the mushroom business. Oyster mushrooms are undemanding to care, while tasty and nutritious - they contain vitamins of group B and C, amino acids, microelements, proteins. These are mushrooms resistant to diseases and pests with high yields. They are in stable demand in the market.

Advantages and Disadvantages

The oyster mushroom business seems to be very profitable. Its main advantages:

year-round, harvesting several crops a year;
simple growing technology;
relatively quick payback;
low competition, demand exceeds supply;
minimal investment, suitable for starting a business from scratch;
the opportunity to receive government subsidies;
almost waste-free production and environmentally friendly products ...

In addition, in the first stages, you can get by with a small room. One person can handle it.

However, the manufacturer will also face problems:

fragility of the product;
difficulty during long-distance transportation;
short shelf life and sale.

Growing technology

With the intensive method, mushrooms grow in artificial conditions. To achieve high yields, you will need to provide a favorable indoor climate, but the equipment costs will soon pay off.

Main cultivation technologies:

on stumps;
on wooden decks;
in bags with substrate.

Mushroom selection

Oyster mushroom is a highly productive cultivated mushroom. Some of its types give up to 100 kg of raw materials per year per square meter. There are about forty species in total, but not all of them are beneficial for cultivation.

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