WHAT THE FARM: MUSHROOM GOURMET
What the Farm: Mushroom Gourmet is an agribusiness venture proposed by John Jhophet R. Diola, Jerson M. Salalila, and Aldrin B. Amoguis. It is located at Block 3, Lot 9 San Francisco Street, San Clemente 1, Barangay Pagasa, Binangonan, Rizal Province.
A hobby with benefits
The mushroom farm started in 2018 as Diola’s hobby. From being a hobby, he decided to turn it into a business. As the farm started to expand, he needed additional finances for the farm operations. He asked Amoguis and Salalila to invest and to join him in managing the farm.
In 2020, the mushroom growing house was constructed. It was made of concrete material, although there was no concrete flooring yet.
Upscaling production through YFCF
They decided to join the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Young Farmers Challenge Fund (YFCF): Kabataang Agribiz Competitive Grant Assistance Program to further finance their operations. They were named awardees of the YFCF Provincial Level Competition.
With the YFCF financial grant amounting to Php 150,000, the mushroom growing house was renovated, where its flooring was concretized and the roof was repaired. They also constructed other facilities and procured equipment and other materials.
They installed a misting system with a timer to automatically water the mushrooms. This system will help maintain the moisture inside the growing house without constant checking. Through this, growing mushrooms will become easier and more convenient.
Declared CALABARZON’s awardees for the Regional Level Competition, an additional Php 150,000 financial grant will be used to produce white, black, and blue oyster mushrooms. It will also be used for the ready-to-grow mushroom box concept that they are developing. Currently, they have also produced spawns of the Lion’s Mane, Milky, and Oyster pink and yellow mushroom varieties. ###
