“I wanted to have my own business by the time I was 30 - and I’m a couple of years away from that.”
“I didn’t know much about them until I started looking into it, then I tried them and thought ‘Well, this has got to be good’.”
Thomas’ working background in earthworks and engineering meant farming wasn’t necessarily the most logical next step, but he had been interested in applied and agricultural sciences since studying them at school and university.
“Understanding it really helps- understanding all the science behind it.”
The mushroom growing process is highly technical, needing a precise hand.
“You’ve got to monitor the conditions and keep everything sterile and clean.
“Any other bacteria or fungi that you don’t want is competition, so it really jeopardises your crop if you’ve got contamination.”
The process starts with the spores that mushrooms grow from, mixed into an eco-friendly substrate of discarded hulls from soybeans and sawdust from forestry processing.
Everything is tightly controlled, from ensuring a sterile field to the fruiting process in a high-humidity environment.
Alongside growing the mushrooms, Thomas is now focused on growing the business. With restaurants and shops like M21 and Lakeland Local stocking the produce, he hopes that people would give them a try.
“There’s a lack of awareness of these types of mushrooms compared to your standard supermarket ones like buttons and portobellos.
“It’s a completely different growing system and different health properties.”
As for how to get the most out of the mushrooms, Thomas suggests keeping it simple.
“I normally tell people just to fry them up in a bit of butter and pepper, and a little bit of salt.”
