The popularity of gourmet mushrooms is continuing to grow. Over two million pounds of gourmet mushrooms were grown in the United States just last year. Did you know you can make good money growing gourmet mushrooms? It’s pretty easy, too. Here’s how you can make $60,000 a year growing gourmet mushrooms for profit:
Oyster mushrooms, a type of gourmet mushroom, are one of the most profitable gourmet mushrooms available. In addition to the high demand for them, growing them is pretty simple. Growing takes about six weeks from start to harvest, so it’s possible to make a big profit reasonably quickly. Best of all, no full-time commitment is necessary. You can still have a full-time job or other commitments. If you have a few hours to spare a week, you have enough time to be a successful mushroom grower.
So, let’s do the math. If you have a 500-square-foot growing area in a year, that can produce about 12,000 pounds of mushrooms. Oyster mushrooms are currently selling for $6-8 a pound wholesale. Twelve thousand pounds of mushrooms at $6 a pound could make you $72,000 in a year’s time. Simply put, growing gourmet mushrooms for profit can be a way to make a nice extra income or even be a new career.
To grow a bumper crop, oyster mushrooms need a growing room where they can be controlled in terms of temperature, humidity, and light. This allows you to regulate all three to meet the needs of the mushrooms at various times in the growing cycle.
One of the keys to having a successful mushroom-growing business is cleanliness. Many things could contaminate your mushrooms, but if you take special care, your mushrooms can grow up healthy and tasty. So what do you need to do? First, pasteurizing your straw-growing medium will remove possible threats of contamination. When you’re ready to spread out your straw to cool down, take special care to wipe down and disinfect the surface using a 10% bleach solution. And finally, remember to always wash your hands thoroughly before handling any items, such as your spawn or substrate. Healthy gourmet mushrooms will get you a top dollar at the market.
When your gourmet mushrooms are ready to harvest, try to sell them as soon as possible. Fresh mushrooms will sell the best. If you cannot sell your entire supply soon, you can freeze or dry them to sell later. For the mushrooms you’re ready to sell now, try any or all of these three options:
1. Farmers’ markets – If you’ve been to one of these, you know how they can draw big crowds. Attendees are eager to find the best local produce from the best local growers. That could be you. Set up a booth or stand and get selling.
2. Restaurants—If you’re like many people, you love tasting delicious fresh mushrooms when you go out to a restaurant. Restaurants have to get those mushrooms from somewhere, so why not you? Hand out free samples to local chefs who might be interested in your gourmet mushrooms.
3. Grocery stores – More and more grocery stores are stocking gourmet mushrooms. Many buy their mushrooms from out-of-state distributors. If your gourmet mushrooms are fresh, healthy, and delicious, you could see a lot of business coming your way.
You could make over $60,000 a year growing gourmet mushrooms for profit. If you have a few hours a week to spare and a growing area where you can control the temperature, humidity, and light, then you can be a successful grower. Make sure your mushrooms are growing up healthy and that you’re selling them at the right places, and you’ll be on your way to success.
