Services:

Marketing and Sales:

This is our main priority. We are constantly looking to expand our sales base by offering more mushrooms at competitive prices. Our objective is to be the main supplier of mushrooms to the Asheville and Johnson City region and eventually expanding west to the Nashville area, east to Raleigh and coastal communities, and south to Atlanta.

This should be achievable since a majority of mushrooms come from PA and they are of inferior quality but still get a high price. We believe that we can compete with PA by offering a local-food that is low in price but high in quality. The challenge that remains is to offer these mushrooms year-round, which is currently becoming more possible as we increase the amount of growers involved and develop a working infrastructure.

One-stop drop off:

The ultimate goal here is offer a way for farmers to be able to bring the mushrooms to us and get a set price for them without having to deal with the customers directly. While this may mean a lower price for the grower, it will assure that all mushroom will be sold and the grower will be able to count on that income. We don’t intend to interfere with the growers “regular” customers and we promise to not compete with them if they formally tell us who their customers are. However, if we are unaware of the growers clients, then we may inadvertently sell mushrooms to them.

Log sourcing:

We are currently looking for ways to make getting logs easier and more sustainable by working with the Forest Service and logging companies. While we don’t want to contribute to the destruction of the forest we would like to utilize the waste products that these industries have to offer. This should allow growers to refrain from cutting their own trees from their land and drastically reducing the amount of time spent each year during the inoculation process.

Ideally we will have our own white oak plantation set-up to grow the necessary trees and further increase our sustainability. While this is a long-term project that will require land and grant monies to get started, this is the most viable option for this industry. For every tree that is cut, another tree should be planted. In general, trees harvested at 10 years old seem to have the best sapwood/heartwood ratio.

Hands off approach:

This style involves inoculating the logs by the individual farmer and then leasing them to the Co-op at a set price. While this may not be for everyone it will be yet another approach to create an additional income stream for farmers.

Log-Yard management:

Professional advice from local growers as to what the best policies are to maintaining a healthy log yard.

Spawn allocation:

We offer different spawn for different farmers. We have low-cost spawn ($15 per bag, year-round) and free spawn (spring, 200 log minimum). Numerous strains are available. Our spawn comes from Field & Forest Mushrooms, and from Dr. Omon at NCA&T.

Tools & Wax:

We offer low-cost tools and organic grade cheese wax.

Shiitake Workshops:

We will offer at least 2 workshops each year on a working farm. Topics will include: Proper tree identification, Proper felling techniques, Strain selection, Inoculation techniques, Log-yard design, Log rotation, Organic production requirements, How to deal with contaminants, Benefits of using a cooperative, and Sales and marketing techniques.