Mighty Cap Mushrooms grown in San Luis Obispo are served at restaurants across California
Words by Chris Batlle
Photography by Jennifer Olson & Kaitlin Holloway Photography
Mushrooms have always been on the menu in our home, long before my wife and I made it our business. In my free time, I would go out and forage wild mushrooms, hoping to bring home a small bounty to share with my family. But eventually, we wanted more. We didn’t want the grocery store stuff — those mushrooms lacked flavor and texture and were unappealing to us. So, in 2018, we started educating ourselves through literature and online resources and began growing roughly 5 to 10 pounds of mushrooms per week at home. We developed connections with other experienced mushroom farmers, which helped us improve our home cultivation. We quickly increased our yield to 50 pounds per week and enticed a handful of local chefs to become our first customers.
Fueled by a relentless pursuit and love of fungi, every corner of our home was used to grow mushrooms. Our garage became a lab while the dining room and kitchen doubled as incubation areas. There are priceless pictures, from when we started, of my kids, wife and me at the dinner table with metal incubation racks all around us as we ate. Soon after, we created a sophisticated grow room in the backyard to support further growth.
Transitioning from a secure career in the wine industry to pursue a full-time mushroom venture took a daunting leap of faith. But in 2020, a friend offered up some financing, construction support and a 2,000-square-foot warehouse on his property, allowing us to expand our endeavor once again. We embraced this challenge. With over 30 restaurants ready to buy our product, we rapidly scaled Mighty Cap Mushrooms to 350 pounds a week. Every week of 2021, we sold out of our supply. By 2022, demand soared and pushed us toward 500 pounds per week. By 2023, we were growing and selling out of over 700 pounds per week, including responsibly sourced wild mushrooms
Mushroom cultivation begins with two components: certified organic soy hull and hardwood oak. Once we create and sterilize our grow medium, we inoculate our blocks for the mushrooms to grow on. From our sterile lab, we add the strain of mushroom mycelium, and send that off to the incubation room before it finishes in the fruiting chamber where the mushrooms begin to grow. The complete process from inoculation to harvest takes approximately 30 days for many strains we offer. We currently grow lion’s mane, king trumpets, chestnuts, blue oyster, pink oyster, Italian oyster, black pearl oyster and shiitake. We pick at least 100 pounds every day. Mushrooms do not take off holidays or weekends, so our operation runs 24-7, 365 days a year.
It’s a very high risk, high reward operation. Contamination is an ever-present threat. We must remain mindful to maintain quality ingredients, sterile techniques, an impeccable environment and ensure ratios of hydration and soy to oak are measured precisely. If the mycelium wins and takes over the block, we’re good to grow. If we have weak mycelium, the process can fail. Contamination will rear its head one to two weeks down the road and render the mushrooms useless. It’s a farmer’s nightmare and we do everything in our power to prevent contamination.
It’s important for us to educate our customers on what we do and why sourcing local food is important. Most mushrooms brought into food service and grocery stores in the United States are imported. Many large mushroom producers in this country source their blocks from overseas labs for pennies on the dollar. Once the pre-inoculated blocks are refrigerated and shipped to the U.S., a big commercial grower will fruit the product and label it as domestically grown. Far West Fungi in Monterey paved the way and brought us in on legislation to help tighten restrictions regarding the labeling of mushrooms. If someone is producing 50 percent of their product abroad and calling it “California Grown,” that’s not truthful. Growing quality mushrooms from start to finish in California is expensive and margins are tight. Through research, we learned only a little over 3.5 percent of mushrooms sold in the U.S. are truly grown domestically. Chefs love our product not only for the variety and shelf life, but the higher overall quality. As we prepare to use custom boxes printed with “California Grown,” we feel excited and proud. By educating our customers on the importance of supporting domestic growers, we hope to inspire a shift towards sustainable, transparent and ethically sourced fresh food.
Along with wholesale distribution to restaurants, we’ve extended our passion for mushrooms to households. We now offer four types of home grow kits, including lion’s mane, pink oyster, blue oyster and Italian oyster mushrooms. We’ve proudly shipped at least one grow kit to every state. Our dedication to accessibility is reflected in our partnerships with quality retailers in the area. You can purchase fresh Mighty Cap Mushrooms at Etto Pastificio in Tin City, Spice of Life in Paso Robles, Gather Natural Market in Atascadero and Avocado Shack in Morro Bay. By making our mushrooms available to our local community, we hope to foster a deeper connection between consumer and food source. We also offer subscriptions with weekly and biweekly local pick-up.
At home, we eat fresh mushrooms almost every day. Whether sautéed, grilled, barbequed, air fried or added to soups, I love the versatility of cooked, exotic mushrooms and how powerful they are in supporting immune function. Mushrooms are low in calories and fat, rich in fiber, packed with vitamin D, minerals, antioxidants and contribute to overall wellness. Lion’s mane reminds me of crab, pink oysters exude bacon, king trumpets taste like scallops or carnitas, when shredded. Chefs, home cooks and enthusiasts enjoy the canvas for creativity, and that excitement has put mushrooms on the map. We’ve elevated mushrooms to new heights and now find Mighty Cap Mushrooms printed on over 70 menus in the county. Through collaborations with chefs, we remain steadfast in our mission to improve, inspire and elevate a flavorful and sustainable future.
