Increasing demand for mushrooms spawns success

Interest in mushroom is on the rise, particularly among consumers wanting to cultivate their own supply. Capitalising on this market, MushRush in KwaZulu-Natal supplies mushroom spawn to clients across South Africa. Owner Sandra van Rij explained the multi-stage process of producing spawn to Lindi Botha.

- Lindi Botha

When Sandra and Neil van Rij ventured into mushroom farming in 2008, they went all out, setting up both spawn production and a commercial mushroom farm. Medicinal mushrooms were in particularly high demand at the time, and oyster and shitake mushrooms dominated the operation, neatly named MushRush.

It didn’t take long before the couple, who are based in Howick in KwaZulu-Natal, realised that producing both spawn and mushrooms required a great deal of juggling, especially when trying to keep up with demand.

“It’s like a poultry farmer trying to produce chicks and broilers. The two are both specialised and each requires one’s full attention,” says Van Rij. Spawn and mushroom production each offered its pros and cons, however, and the Van Rijs weighed these up carefully before finally deciding on spawn.

“Spawn producers are few and far between, and the business is capital-intensive, so there’s a greater gap in this market. We also already had all the equipment. And with the longer shelf life of spawn (six weeks as opposed to five days for mushrooms), producing it provides a larger window for sales, reducing waste.

“I also found that producing a consistent batch of quality mushrooms week after week was far more challenging than doing the same with spawn. This is because spawn is cultivated in a highly stable, controlled environment, so the chances of something interfering with growth are minimal.

“In addition, they’re not seasonal and can be produced year-round. Mushrooms are sensitive to seasonal changes, climatic conditions and all the other issues that come with commercial food production,” says Van Rij.