Growing mushrooms is profit from the mushroom business. Growing mushrooms

We invite you to familiarize yourself with detailed business plan for growing various types of mushrooms. Read the finished production plan and find out the list of possible risks.

Hello, dear readers!

Growing mushrooms is a promising business idea for aspiring entrepreneurs. Its implementation does not require large start-up capital, the purchase of special equipment or large premises.

Brief investment memorandum

The goal of the project is to grow oyster mushrooms and sell them fresh in your city, as well as further development production capacity: increasing production volume, expanding the range.

Advantages of mushroom business:

1. The growing technology has been studied and tested. To harvest, you just need to strictly follow the instructions.
2. Eco-products grown without chemical fertilizers are at the peak of popularity. Mushrooms are a hearty and tasty product that is in demand all year round.
3. No investment is needed to set up production. Use your garage or cottage. The main costs at this stage are mycelium and growing bags.
4. There are many distribution routes: markets, catering establishments, supermarkets, eco-product stores.
5. High profitability subject to well-established production and sales of goods.
6. To grow champignons and oyster mushrooms, waste from the agricultural and processing industries is used.
7. Champignons are not demanding on growing conditions. They grow in basements, mines, garages, greenhouses. Any room can be adapted for growing mushrooms.
8. Mushrooms are sold fresh, dried, and canned.

Relevance of the mushroom growing business

In the last 4 years, when imports of champignons and oyster mushrooms have decreased significantly, it has become much easier for a novice mushroom grower to enter the market. These varieties give a stable harvest all year round, so your main task is to organize its sales.

There are several types of mushroom products on the Russian market.

The demand for different types of mushrooms in our country is shown in the pie chart:

Another useful information for a novice mushroom grower is the cost of the most popular varieties of mushrooms among buyers. Prices are valid for the summer season of 2017.

According to the School of Mushroom Growing, the volume of oyster mushroom production on the Russian market in 2017 is 6-7 thousand tons per year. Champignons are grown 6-8 times more.

The demand for oyster mushrooms is less than for champignons, but experts consider its cultivation promising. The main thing for an entrepreneur who has chosen this variety is to launch effective advertising of products and establish sales.

Sales market - ways to sell finished products

Mushrooms are not shelf-stable products, so the products need to be sold quickly before they lose their freshness and presentation.

Let's talk about sales routes.

Restaurants, cafes and other catering establishments

Invite the administration of the establishments to try the products. Show quality certificates, radiological examination reports confirming the safety and quality of your product.

Market

To sell on the market, you will also need documentation confirming the naturalness of the product.

Supermarkets and shops

Provide certificates about the quality of oyster mushrooms or champignons, leave the goods for testing, treat the management to marinated mushrooms of your own production, and signing a contract will not take long.

Sales to wholesalers

This is a fast but unprofitable implementation method. The purchase price is much lower than the retail price.

Center experts Environmental Programs, specializing in the development of private mushroom farming, state: “Cultivated mushrooms are in greatest demand in the European part of Russia. In regions such as Sverdlovsk, Tyumen, and Chelyabinsk, the population gives preference to wild edible mushrooms.”

Sales and Marketing

We have already talked about where to look for clients and the sales market. I'll tell you how to create a catchy ad and attract the attention of buyers.

To start selling online, you just need to register on Avito or another trading platform.

For a buyer to choose you, your ad must include:

1. Photos of fresh produce. If you add several photos of fruits growing in the mycelium, this will inspire more confidence in the buyer. He will also be interested in photos with pickled or fried oyster mushrooms or champignons.
2. Product Description. Indicate that the variety you grew is safe, that you use only environmentally friendly germination technologies and natural substrate.
3. Price. If an ad doesn't include a price, it's not specific and won't generate interest.
4. Contact Information. Indicate not only your phone number, but also your account social network. It is advisable that your page or group page have customer reviews about the quality of the product.

For market sales best advertising- give the buyer a taste of something delicious mushroom dish. Find original recipe marinade and treat each customer. A month later like this advertising campaign you will have a stable audience of clients.

Owners of supermarkets and restaurants will be “bribed” by a small free batch of product to try.

The key to success is the quality and naturalness of champignons and oyster mushrooms. It’s easy to sell one batch, but your task is to generate stable sales.

Financial plan

Financial planning- a stage necessary for opening any business. It is drawn up before production begins. Having drawn up such a plan, you will correlate expenses with expected income and be able to calculate the payback period for production. The financial plan is based on start-up and operating costs, as well as profit received from sales.

An example of the expense part of a business plan with start-up costs (the data in the table depends on the scale of production):

To the figures presented in the table, add the amount of taxes, staff wages, rent of a retail space in the market, payment accounting services, advertising costs and other operating costs.

Possible risks and guarantees

This type of business has 3 main risks:

• low yield;
• weak sales;
• competition.

Productivity depends on the accuracy of production technologies, sales - on the quality of products and good advertising.

Business success guarantees:

1. Stable year-round customer demand.
2. Several ways of sale (dried, frozen, canned and fresh).
3. Several distribution routes (market, stores, restaurants, wholesalers).
4. Lack of serious competition. Private mushroom growing is just being mastered by entrepreneurs and investors.
5. High profitability. Investments in opening a business pay off after the first good harvest.

An inspiring video about the experience of an entrepreneur from the Krasnodar region growing champignons at home:

Download business plan

A business plan is the very first step in opening a business. It reflects all aspects of the business: from its goals to the competent distribution of profits. A business plan specifies every action towards the implementation of an idea, acting as insurance against thoughtless spending and fiasco.

They draw up a plan based on an analysis of the mushroom growing industry and study of the specifics of the region. This is done by professional marketers. Thanks to ready-made plans from the Internet, you have the opportunity to understand the basic concept and develop your own document.

This approach is a real reconnaissance in force, because you yourself will analyze the competition, learn everything about the process technology, and even find potential buyers.

Download finished sample via one of the links on this page. Don't forget that these are templates that you need to adapt to your idea.

The possibility of starting your own business is of interest large quantity people, since the prospect of living from paycheck to paycheck does not make anyone happy. All more people is looking for ways to earn money that will both please him and bring him a stable income.

The choice of a business that is suitable for you is influenced by many factors: from place of residence to start-up capital. This doesn't even take into account your personal abilities and inclinations. Equally important is previous experience of owning your own business. If a person has already tried to open his own business, drawn up a business plan, drank all the nuances entrepreneurial activity, it is much easier for him to decide on a new business. If you are new to this, don’t worry: the mushroom growing business is a profitable and uncomplicated business. But before purchasing everything you need, you need to draw up a clear action plan and study the issue.

Experts say that today the demand for mushrooms is much higher than the supply. Artificially grown mushrooms are purchased in bulk by restaurants and supermarkets, and in markets there are queues at stalls with mushrooms.

Why choose a mushroom growing business?

While sorting through, pay attention to the benefits of growing mushrooms (oyster mushrooms).

1. To start this business, you do not need large financial investments. And the lack of primary capital, as is known, is the first reason why people abandon the idea of ​​starting their own business.
2. The success of a business does not depend on where you live. Growing mushrooms is relevant and accessible in both villages and cities.
3. Good demand. Buyers are well aware of the benefits and taste of mushrooms. By the way, people trust artificially grown mushrooms more than those collected by their grandmother on the edge of the forest.
4. Unlimited business expansion opportunities.
5. At the first stages, there is no need to hire workers: one person can easily cope with all the tasks himself.
6. There is no need to establish numerous business contacts.
7. You will receive a stable income.
8. You can draw up a business plan and calculate all the risks yourself.

Of all types of agricultural production, mushrooms are the most profitable option.

Judge for yourself: from 1 sq.m of land you can get about 80 kg of mushrooms per year, and no more than 6-8 kg of potatoes or cucumbers. And this despite the fact that mushrooms are much more expensive.

If you haven't grown mushrooms before, choose oyster mushrooms. This type of mushroom is ideal for growing at home. In addition, you will need a very small area to get a good harvest. On average, from one square meter of room area you can get about 14 kg of mushrooms per month. So, even if you equip a small room of 40-60 square meters for growing mushrooms, your income will already be decent. The first results will not keep you waiting. Within 30-40 days after planting you will be able to collect the first mushrooms. So immediately prepare a sales plan for your product.

Can you imagine a business plan in which the starting capital is about 5 thousand rubles? This is approximately the amount of money you will need to start a business growing oyster mushrooms.

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We draw up a business plan for a future enterprise

Before you start building any business, you need to study the issue well and draw up a business plan. This is necessary, first of all, for those who plan to attract investors, but it will also be useful for others to figure out how quickly your business will pay off.

A business plan for growing oyster mushrooms is a description of your business, including all aspects of its existence. Here you will write what costs await you, what problems you may encounter and how you are going to solve them.

It is worth understanding that any business plan must meet specific requirements in order to realistically reflect the state of affairs. you must clearly write down the economic feasibility of this type of business. Be sure to calculate how much money you need to start and what expenses await you monthly. Decide on ways to sell the product. And, of course, write down the expected amount of profit. It is necessary to display a business development plan and take inflation into account.

When drawing up a business plan, do not forget that this business has additional income columns. From selling stumps with mycelium for summer residents who want to grow mushrooms on their property, to paid training in the intricacies of this business.

By the way, a ready-made business plan for growing oyster mushrooms can be bought on the Internet. Accordingly, if you have your own successful business plan, you can also offer it online for beginners in this business.

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Determining the first expenses

• rental of premises;
• oyster mushroom mycelium;
• organization of indoor microclimate;
• substrate;
• plastic bags.

Regular expenses:

• rent;
• communal payments;
• salary, if there are employees;
• transportation costs, delivery to the place of sale.

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Technologies for growing oyster mushrooms

The plan for growing oyster mushrooms is very simple and does not cause much difficulty. First of all, you need to find a suitable premises. There are not many requirements for the premises: a garage, basement, barn, abandoned house will do. The main thing is that there is an opportunity to create the necessary humidity and temperature. The room temperature should not exceed 18-23°C.

The room must be disinfected in advance. All surfaces that will come into contact with the mycelium and substrate must be sterile. Wash your hands very well with laundry soap before handling mushrooms. Do not forget that it is better to work with any mushrooms in a gauze bandage, as their spores can cause allergic reactions.

Oyster mushroom spores or mycelium can be purchased at a farm store. One kg of mycelium costs about $3. You can experiment and buy from different manufacturers; prices often differ significantly. Over time, you can produce mycelium yourself and also sell it to those who wish.

Oyster mushroom grows well in different substrates. you can use sawdust (any kind except pine), cereal straw, paper, corn stalks and cobs, sunflower husks, cotton seed husks, coffee stems and leaves. Make sure that the substrate is clean, free of impurities, unnecessary odors and mold.

Depending on the substrate you choose, your preparation plan will vary significantly. The straw must first be crushed and then subjected to hydrothermal treatment. If the straw is last year, just soak it in cold water for 40 minutes. For those who come across fresh straw, the procedure becomes a little more complicated. You will need to compact the straw into a large container, pour warm water, heat to a temperature of 65-70°C. At this temperature you need to keep the straw for 3 hours. And only then can you drain the water and cool it.

Only fresh seed husks are used. It is filled with water and brought to a temperature of 90°C as quickly as possible. You need to maintain the temperature at this level for 1-2 hours. Then the water needs to be drained and the substrate rinsed with cold water.

There are also alternative methods for processing the substrate. You may have to try several at first to choose which one is best suited to your conditions.

For planting, large plastic bags (40x80 cm, 50x100 cm) are used. But you shouldn’t take those that are larger than 50 cm in diameter.

The planting plan is very simple. Place a layer of substrate at the bottom and compact it well, followed by a layer of mycelium. And so you continue until the very top of the package. There should be at least 12 layers. Mycelium in the bag should be 3-5% of total mass. Some mushroom pickers use mineral supplements to increase yield, but in the first stages it is better not to do this.

Make slits in the bags in a checkerboard pattern. After 14 days, the blocks can be moved to a brighter place, but avoid direct sunlight. It is best to use fluorescent lamps. The room must be illuminated 12 hours a day. Here you will need to maintain temperature and humidity, and periodically spray the blocks with water. And after 10 days, strings of future mushrooms (primordia) will appear in the slits. And in a few days there will already be adults here, good mushrooms. Don't cut them too early, let them grow to a good diameter cap. To avoid rotting of the stalk, it is better to twist the oyster mushroom rather than cut it. If you cut mushrooms, be sure to disinfect the knife.

Do not forget that this type of mushroom is very fond of Fresh air. The room should be regularly ventilated and the ventilation should be turned on 5-6 times a day.

About two weeks after the first harvest, you will experience a second wave of mushroom growth. There is a technique in which after this the blocks are again taken into a dark room and the whole process is repeated again. This can be repeated 3-4 times.

Used bags can also be sold, especially if you used straw as a substrate. Village residents buy mycelium for animal feed or as fertilizer for their gardens. For example, the yield of cucumbers on soil fertilized in this way increases by 30%.

Growing mushrooms as a business is suitable for an entrepreneur with a small starting capital. Mushroom farming has every prospect of growing into a profitable business, provided that not only money, but also professional knowledge is invested in it.

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Relevance of the mushroom growing business

The mushroom growing niche is being actively studied by entrepreneurs. This is due to the fact that the business does not require large expenses at the start, and the products are in high demand all year round. Despite the obvious relevance of this type of activity, currently the market can be called low-competitive.

Compared to growing other plant crops, mushroom growing does not require the construction of special, expensive greenhouses. In addition, the cultivation technology itself is quite simple and can be mastered even by an inexperienced entrepreneur. All this allows you to quickly earn money and recoup your investment.

Growing mushrooms becomes profitable for the following reasons:

• there is no need to provide expensive care;
• it is possible to organize a small farm at home;
• fast ripening speed: from 3 weeks;
• There is a winter season of “high prices”.

Before organizing a mushroom growing business, you should decide on their range and types, each of which requires special care.

Which mushrooms to choose for growing?

Oyster mushrooms Champignons Porcini mushrooms Truffles

On the Russian market, the following types of mushrooms are most often chosen for cultivation:

• oyster mushrooms;
• Champignon;
• Forest mushrooms;
• truffles.

Oyster mushrooms are a very popular and most unpretentious species. It attracts novice entrepreneurs with its high yield: up to 14 kg of mushrooms can be collected from one square meter. Moreover, the first collection is possible within a month. Oyster mushrooms are a valuable species containing many nutrients and vitamins. However, during the growing process some of its disadvantages appear.

Disadvantages of oyster mushroom:

• fragility: this mushroom is difficult to transport over long distances;
• demands for special temperature conditions and the fastest possible delivery;
• unexpressed mushroom aroma;
• possible allergy to spores.

Many mushroom growers agree that champignons are more difficult to grow than oyster mushrooms. They require mycelium special quality and nutrient medium. In addition, mushrooms require special humidity and temperature conditions. Champignons grow in shelves and boxes. Within a month they reach the required growth and after three months they are already harvested.

The most common wild mushroom for cultivation is white mushroom. This is the most valuable mushroom in taste, which can only be grown when conditions are created natural environment. Germination of this species is possible only in symbiosis with tree roots, so cultivation porcini mushroom occurs in groves and coniferous forests.

Growing truffles is an extremely profitable and at the same time extremely risky business. They grow under oak trees. The seedlings are placed in sterile conditions and then taken to the farm. The mushroom requires special compost, enriched with various elements.

According to reviews from entrepreneurs, you should start with the most unpretentious, but no less tasty and nutritious mushrooms, - oyster mushroom. In the future, it is also possible to organize the production of truffles and some types of wild mushrooms.

Necessary conditions for growing oyster mushrooms and where to start a business.

Market description and analysis

Until 2014, the mushroom market in Russia consisted almost entirely of imported products. After the introduction of import restrictions, foreign products reduced their volumes, which allowed domestic producers to increase the cost of mushrooms grown on their own, without reducing demand. The magazine “School of Mushroom Growing” for 2015 published data on an increase in oyster mushroom production by 17% compared to data for 2014 for the same period.

Today, the market volume in Russia is about 60 thousand tons. To cover import substitution, about 160 thousand tons of mushrooms are required. Such data, together with low level competition in the market are a good indicator for organizing your own farm.

Market analysis shows that the demand for products depends on location. The most successful places to make money are small towns and even arid villages - those places where forests grown in natural conditions There are also few mushrooms.

The most common mushrooms grown in Russia are champignons and oyster mushrooms. The most popular format for running this business is small farms, with a yield of 3-5 tons per year.

The largest Russian producer of oyster mushrooms, Cascade, is located in Rostov region. The Central, Volga and Southern Federal Districts are the leaders in terms of production volumes.

According to the marketing research “Analysis of the world and Russian markets mushrooms and mushroom products. Forecast until 2014", EVENTUS Consulting company volume domestic production should grow 2.5-3 times.

Reasons:

• relatively low consumption of mushrooms per person and the potential for growth of this indicator;
• the ability for manufacturers to compete on price and types of products;
• growth of economic indicators and the desire for healthy image life of the population.

The target audience

The target audience for this type of activity is both individuals over 30 years of age who strive for a healthy and varied diet, as well as large enterprises and suppliers.

Among them:

• grocery stores and supermarkets;
• catering establishments;
• pet enterprises;
• mushroom wholesalers.

Competitive advantages

The competitive environment in this area can currently be defined as low. However, the market is evolving and you should identify your own advantages.

They could be:

• constant support of high quality and freshness of products;
• uninterrupted delivery of mushrooms;
• monitoring and implementation of new technologies in production;
• using only trusted mycelium suppliers;
• the ability to work with both legal entities and individuals;
• discounts for wholesale purchases;
• flexible pricing policy.

To minimize losses and provide additional assortment to the buyer, an entrepreneur can open his own line for processing mushrooms or producing semi-finished products.

Advertising campaign

To promote a product on the market, you should make it a recognizable brand with its own history. The basis for forming the company’s image is the presence of an informative website with product characteristics and elements of corporate identity.

• Name;
• logo;
• corporate video with production and product footage.

To work with legal entities and representatives of large retail chains, it is important:

• produce information materials of good quality;
• develop an online presence strategy;
• develop methods for additional competitive advantages.

To promote among individuals you can use:

• placement of outdoor advertising at points of sale;
• holding promotions and tastings;
• social development networks and attracting non-standard content.

Step-by-step instructions for opening a mushroom farm

To implement the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bgrowing mushrooms at home, you need:

1. Analyze the market.
2. Create a detailed business plan.
3. Complete state registration and choose a form of taxation.
4. Select mycelium and find substrate suppliers.
5. Develop a technology for making compost.
6. Find and prepare a room.
7. Start growing products and adjust technology.
8. Conduct a search for sales channels.
9. Sales of products and establishing contacts with wholesale customers.

Documentation

Business registration involves the possibility of registration in several forms:

• Individual entrepreneurship (IP);
• Limited Liability Company (LLC);
• Peasant farm (peasant farm).

The individual entrepreneur form allows you to both grow and sell mushrooms.

• a certified statement from a notary in form No. P21001;
• application for transition to the Unified Agricultural Tax or the simplified tax system (otherwise it will be OSNO by default);
• a copy of all pages of the passport.

The LLC form makes it possible to attract additional financial assets through government programs and loans.

Requires the following documents for registration:

• application in form No. Р11001;
• LLC charter;
• decision to open an LLC or protocol, if there are several founders (partners);
• receipt of payment of state duty;
• copies of the founders’ passports certified by a notary;
• application for transition to the unified agricultural tax or simplified tax system (the default will be general).

Peasant farm enterprise is a simplified form of LLP (limited liability partnership), just like individual entrepreneurs and LLCs, it is endowed with legal force.

OKVED codes that cover the mushroom growing business:

• 01.13 “Growing vegetables, melons, root and tuber crops, mushrooms and truffles”;
• 01.13.6 “Growing mushrooms and truffles.”

After growing a batch of mushrooms, you must obtain documents for the products.

Namely:

• quality certificate;
• declaration of conformity to state standards;
• phytosanitary certificate;
• conclusion on radiological examination.

Room for a mushroom farm

Organizing mushroom growing is profitable, among other things, due to the absence of large costs for finding and preparing premises.

At home, suitable premises could be:

• basement;
• barn;
• dacha or village house;
• abandoned agricultural or industrial buildings.

Basic requirements for the premises:

• air temperature from 12-25°C;
• air humidity not less than 85%;
• availability of communications: electricity and water supply;
• connected heating and ventilation.

For small rooms Additional air humidification is not required. However, large-scale production requires a special humidification and conditioning system. Cultivation chambers are also used inside large rooms, which allow maintaining an optimal microclimate.

Production areas:

• a warm area for mycelium germination with an irrigation system and good ventilation;
• cool area for planting mushrooms.

If you plan to make compost yourself, you need to organize additional zone with grinder and pasteurization equipment.

Equipment and inventory

To grow mushrooms at home, you need the following equipment and supplies:

Hammer crusher RUB 35,000. Air humidifier RUB 20,000. Steam generator 38,000 rub. Plastic bag 250 rub.

For large production you will need additional equipment:

• climate control systems depending on the species being grown;
• autoclave for making mycelium;
• special equipment for driving out mushroom fruiting bodies;
• Substrate preparation machines;
• racks for camera equipment;
• Packaging equipment.

Mycelium

The choice of mycelium should be approached especially carefully, since the productivity and income of the entrepreneur depends on its quality.

Mycelium is the seed that is the vegetative body of fungi, consisting of thin, branched threads called hyphae.

You should only purchase mycelium from specialized laboratory companies. At the initial stage, it is recommended to purchase from several suppliers with a good reputation and draw a conclusion based on your own experience.

The selection of a supplier is carried out according to the following criteria:

• Availability of licenses and quality certificates;
• Availability positive feedback from buyers;
• product quality;
• average market value.

The shelf life of mycelium is up to 120 days at a temperature of +2 degrees, so it is purchased several times a year.

When purchasing, you should pay attention to the following characteristics product:

• strain and variety of mushroom;
• speed and percentage of grain fouling;
• shelf life;
• mildew resistance;
• internal temperature +20-22 degrees;
• no black or green spots with an ammonia odor.

Mycelium is used to prepare the substrate. Over time, you can make it yourself. This process is quite complex and requires additional space and professional skills. However, the components for the substrate are inexpensive, so, with skillful approach, the production of seed material can save significant costs.

The main stages of preparing the substrate at home:

1. Straw or sawdust is steamed in hot water at the rate of 1 kg of mycelium per 10 kg of substrate.
2. The resulting mixture is cooled, combined with mycelium and placed in plastic bags. The mycelium is crushed without opening the bags and its temperature is equalized with the substrate. The mycelium is inserted and the package is opened under sterile conditions and treated with a disinfectant solution.
3. In the resulting bags, make holes of 0.5 cm at a distance of 10-15 cm with a clean object at an angle of 45 degrees. Mushroom blocks are installed so that the sides with the slots are ventilated and are not on the side of the wall.
4. Bags of 10-12 kg are sent to shelves indoors without light penetration at a temperature of +18-20ºС. During the incubation period, the room is not ventilated. Daily cleaning with chlorine solutions is mandatory.

Staff

Often, mushroom cultivation begins as family business. This reduces wage costs and allows you not to worry about employee liability.

However, with the expansion of production, additional personnel of qualified specialists will be needed. On average, 1 worker is required to harvest up to 100 kg per day.

Thus, the composition of the mushroom farm staff:

Production worker responsibilities include:

• harvesting;
• monitoring of growing processes and timely adjustments;
• reporting;
• creating conditions for the productive functioning of production;
• generating requests for the purchase of mycelium and compost cultivation.

An auxiliary worker is the main production assistant and carries out operational instructions from the manager.

Financial plan

Mushroom farming is a business with average start-up costs. The amount of investments, regular costs and income depends on the planning of the scale. Compilation financial plan with accurate numbers will help to calculate the main indicators and make the project profitable. You can download a ready-made business plan on many sites, but all indicators should be adjusted to the characteristics of a particular region.

How much does it cost to open a mushroom farm?

Start-up costs will be:

Regular expenses

Monthly cost items will be:

Income

To calculate monthly profitability, you must determine the income from one cycle. There can be 4-6 such cycles per year.

10 tons of substrate yield about 2 tons of mushrooms. The average selling price is 150 rubles. per kilogram. Thus, the net profit per month will be 150 thousand rubles.

Business income per month is 42 thousand rubles.

Calendar plan

The enterprise launch plan is designed for 4 months. A feature of the calendar plan will be the receipt of additional certificates for products, which are possible only after growing the first batch. The same goes for establishing sales channels.

Risks and payback

The payback period of the project with stable yields and organized sales is 16 months.

After the project reaches the break-even point, the following prospects can be distinguished:

• increase in selling price for products;
• increase in production volumes;
• expansion of species;
• availability of additional sales channels and wholesale customers.

Like any business associated with growing products, mushroom growing is associated with certain risks.

Risks and ways to minimize them:

1. Unsold goods and damage to presentation. You should think through distribution channels in advance and purchase a refrigerator for short-term storage of products.
2. Insufficient yield. You should study the market for dietary supplements and, if necessary, change the supplier of mycelium.
3. Unforeseen costs associated with lack of experience. Studying specialized literature and making acquaintances to exchange experiences will help.
4. Increased competition. It is necessary to ensure that the price-quality balance is maintained and work to expand the service.

A business with low competition is attractive to an entrepreneur as it is highly profitable. But it is often associated with the undeveloped niche and the lack of professional knowledge of the organizer himself. Systematic study of the specifics of activities and operational changes negative factors will lead to business expansion and its successful operation.

If the intention is ripe to start your own business with a small budget and without significant costs for renting premises, then it makes sense to consider growing oyster mushrooms as a business. Reviews from those who have tried this scheme confirm the reality of this type of income. In addition, to get a decent result, you don’t have to immerse yourself in complex processes - working with such mushrooms after a short study of the cultivation features will be relatively simple. This means that such an idea for making money is suitable for almost everyone.

Reasons for relevance

First of all, oyster mushrooms are worth dealing with because they are in demand. People like these mushrooms and are ready to buy them. If we compare them with porcini mushrooms, we can safely say that they are not inferior to this product in taste. In addition, oyster mushrooms are very healthy because they contain many vitamins, amino acids and proteins.

The process of growing oyster mushrooms does not require the use of chemicals, and after the harvest is harvested, they can be stored for quite a long time. If you draw up a business plan correctly, growing oyster mushrooms will turn into a stable source of good income.

And one more advantage that needs to be paid attention to is the opportunity to start such a business at home without significant financial risks and the hassle of selecting premises for rent. And if we compare the costs of growing oyster mushrooms and, say, champignons, the former will be much less with relatively the same demand.

Where to begin

Initially, you need to understand that such a business may not require rent, but certain premises will still be required. This means that growing mushrooms (oyster mushrooms) at home is a business that requires its own plot. This could be a place in the yard own home or at the dacha. Implementing such a process in an apartment will be problematic, but if desired and if there is free space, such a prospect remains possible.

So, in order to take the first steps in organizing a mushroom growing business, you will have to find a dark room with high humidity, good air supply and an exhaust hood through which carbon dioxide will escape.

As for growing methods, this can be done on wood pieces and sawdust, bags of straw, boxes and stumps. Natural conditions are also perfect, we're talking about about the extensive method.

Helper Processes

There are a number of actions during the process of growing mushrooms that you simply need to know to get a good harvest:

Preparatory work for planting the substrate, that is, the base in which the mushrooms will grow;

Preparation of seed material, it is also called mycelium;

Compliance with all necessary conditions until the primordium (the rudiment of the fungus) appears.

It is important not to make a mistake in choosing the type of mycelium, on which the final result largely depends. Proper planting of seeds is also of considerable importance. This factor must be taken into account if we consider growing oyster mushrooms as a business.

More specifically, in the process of preparing the substrate you need to use straw or sawdust. They must first be steamed and then placed in a bag. In this case, only the raw materials that have had time to cool down are laid. Afterwards, the bags are placed on a shelf in a dark place (room temperature 18-20 °C). When sowing is completed, it is worth making holes in the blocks (bags). A nail is suitable as a tool.

You can count on the first noticeable results within two weeks after sowing.

What does the harvest depend on?

Growing oyster mushrooms as a business inevitably depends on the fact how many mushrooms the aspiring entrepreneur will eventually collect. The more product, the higher the income. And in order for the results of the work to please you, you need to comply with several key conditions.

As stated above, the room in which the blocks with mushrooms will be placed must have a high level of humidity, it must also be ventilated and ensure that the optimum temperature is maintained in it.

As the experience of many entrepreneurs who dealt with oyster mushrooms has shown, the best harvest is observed when grown in blocks placed on racks in a vertical position. The distance between them should be 90-110 cm. This will allow you to move freely among the blocks both while caring for mushrooms and when harvesting.

If you have to deal with bags, then it is better to arrange the rows with a distance of 30 cm from each other. As for the width of the racks, in this case it is better to stick to the mark of 40 cm. This helps maintain the desired temperature.

When assessing the cultivation of oyster mushrooms as a business, reviews should be taken into account without fail. And the experience of many people involved in growing these mushrooms confirms the fact that high-quality fruiting can be expected only with stable adherence to desired temperature. It is important to understand that, depending on the type, a level of either 13-15 °C or 25 °C may be relevant. Special heating equipment will help stabilize the temperature. This function can be perfectly performed when connected to sensors.

What to do with lighting and ventilation

So, oyster mushrooms will feel great provided that in the room where they are located there is free access of oxygen and there is a good release of carbon dioxide. If the concentration of the latter exceeds 0.8%, then caps with rolled edges and long growths will appear on the mushrooms. With such a presentation it is hardly worth counting on increased interest from buyers.

For those who have decided to grow oyster mushrooms as a business, it is important to know that the acceptable level of humidity in the room is checked. This is actually not difficult to do: ventilation in in perfect order, if the length of the stem of growing oyster mushrooms is approximately a third of the total size of the mushroom.

It also doesn’t hurt when installing a ventilation system to make sure it has a filter.

Regarding the topic of lighting, it should be noted that in the case of oyster mushrooms, light is needed, but in limited quantities (from 100 to 200 lux for 12 hours). If this norm is neglected and the concentration increases, then you will have to face such an unpleasant consequence as a significant decrease in the number of primordia.

Irrigation and humidity standards

Growing oyster mushrooms as a home business will always involve work related to managing humidity levels. You need to understand that a product such as mushrooms consists of 90% moisture, and if the room is allowed to become excessively dry, then full fruiting will be in question.

This is why bags are ideal for this process - they retain moisture very well. To reliably protect mushrooms from deformation, you need to achieve a stable humidity level of 85%. But you shouldn’t get carried away with moisturizing either. In this situation, “too much” is not a good thing, since the mushrooms may end up not handling storage well, which is an important aspect of the business-building process.

To make it easier to accurately determine the level of humidity, it makes sense to purchase a device such as a psychrometer. Its structure is not complicated - it contains two sensors that evaluate dryness and humidity. It is the difference in their readings that makes it possible to identify violations of the required regime or determine its compliance.

If we consider growing oyster mushrooms in bags as a business, and moreover thoroughly, then we cannot ignore the fact that at different stages of growth these mushrooms require different level humidity. This means that batches of different ages must be stored in separate rooms or in one, but divided into several parts with different humidity levels.

Now a little about the irrigation process. You need to remember about it at the moment when the size of the fruiting bodies reaches 30 mm or 1 cm. In order for the mushrooms to receive high-quality irrigation, it is worth using a mesh with holes up to 0.5 mm. But as for fog-forming installations, it’s better to forget about them right away. At the same time, it is important to understand that you cannot stop watering even during collection, otherwise you may encounter such a nuisance as deformation of oyster mushrooms.

Key Growing Principles

There are several important rules, in addition to those mentioned above, that anyone who has decided to start growing oyster mushrooms should know. In this case, a home business must be extremely competent. If you carefully study the requirements and understand their essence, it will not be difficult to ensure stable yields.

So, here are the rules we are talking about:

For the fastest possible growth of mycelium, the number of layers of substrate in the bag should start from 12.

The mycelium itself must be dispersed in such a way that it covers the entire area of ​​the site. But at the same time, it is worth distributing 80% closer to the walls, and only 20% in the center.

After compacting is completed, it is important to leave room for tying.

It is important to pay attention to the fact that the bags have holes at the bottom as well, this will allow all excess moisture to drain out easily. In general, perforation implies the presence of 10-20 holes per bag of mycelium.

At first, blocks with nascent mushrooms should be stored in a dark, damp place, but after 14-16 days of ripening, when the entire mycelium is filled with substrate, they must be moved to a place where there is light, but there is no direct sunlight. This could be an area in the shade of trees or a house, a basement, or a barn.

More details about the equipment

Obviously, growing oyster mushrooms as a business for beginners can have different scales. Everyone’s home conditions are different: some have small area for such experiments, while others can afford to allocate a tangible area for such a business, say, in the country. And if it so happens that there are no problems with square meters, then it makes sense to think about serious volumes of the product being grown, and for this it is advisable to pay attention to the appropriate equipment.

You should start with an autoclave, with which you can produce mycelium. With this approach, the process of preparing the base for mushroom growth will become much faster.

Equipment for preparing the substrate is also relevant. If you don’t have the funds, you can make such a machine yourself. For these purposes, you need to find a thick-walled barrel (100-200 liters), pour water into it and bring it to a boil using a light fire. It is necessary to ensure that there are outlets to allow the steam to escape. Thin-walled barrels with the same volumes are connected to such outlets and the substrate is placed in them. Under such conditions, it undergoes high-quality heat treatment.

But this is not all the equipment that growing oyster mushrooms as a business requires. Reviews confirm the advisability of using equipment for pasturing fruiting bodies. In fact, we are talking about a properly prepared room or several areas where the required humidity, temperature and the required level of lighting are maintained.

How to calculate profit

A business plan for growing oyster mushrooms inevitably includes calculating expenses and possible income.

To get the required numbers, let's perform simple calculations. If we take the simplest option, then money will be needed to purchase bags and filler - substrate. On average, ready-made blocks with various relevant content can be purchased for $2.5 per piece. Since in this case we are considering a business plan for growing oyster mushrooms at home, the costs of renting premises and employees are not taken into account. Mushrooms for sowing can be purchased at a price of $1.5 per kg.

If you organize the area correctly, you can place up to 7 blocks per 1 m2. One such block can produce a harvest of 3 kg of mushrooms. Accordingly, the entrepreneur has 21 kg of oyster mushrooms per square meter of usable area. As for sales, you can try to independently organize the sale and delivery of mushrooms to the end consumer (shops, markets, markets, etc.) or use the services of resellers.

On average, you can earn up to $3 per kilogram of oyster mushrooms, which leads to a simple conclusion: such a business allows you to enjoy a 100% markup on the product and receive a tangible profit compared to your investment. This means that those who intend to try their hand at entrepreneurship should seriously consider growing oyster mushrooms as a business. A photo of the process and its detailed description on the forums will make it easy to understand the features of the process and obtain constant yields.

Results

Obviously, this business idea deserves attention, since it does not require significant funds to start a business and promises good earnings with proper organization of the process. Therefore, if you need money and dreams of owning your own business are rushing out, it makes sense to evaluate the cultivation of oyster mushrooms as a business. Feedback from many enthusiasts who took the risk of taking advantage of this opportunity only confirms the fact that this type of earnings can safely be called promising and extremely safe with regard to financial risks.