Technology of growing champignons: business plan, profitability

October 31, 2018
Business ideas
Antonova Ksenia

Mushrooms are one of the popular products in Russia. Some people like to collect them in the forest, while others prefer to buy them in stores. Therefore, growing mushrooms as a business is becoming increasingly popular. Its creation does not require any special knowledge or large investments, so this direction is one of the profitable options for small businesses.

Advantages and disadvantages

Growing mushrooms as a business has a number of advantages that make this area stand out.

To create it you do not need to have special knowledge or special skills.
Mushrooms are easy to care for.
Production does not require expensive equipment.
High demand and stable income.

But like any business line, it also has its drawbacks.

Some varieties of mushrooms do not produce a quick harvest.
It is important to find quality mycelium.
It is necessary to create and maintain the correct microclimate.

But with proper organization of production, you can ensure good yields and a stable income. Where to start growing mushrooms as a business?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of business?

Mushroom business is a great option for introducing entrepreneurship. Minimal capital investment is required to open it. You can start working with small volumes, gradually increasing them.

The benefits of a mushroom farm include:

opportunity to work in both rural and urban areas;
high demand for crops;
a large number of possibilities for expansion;
no need for additional labor.

Mushroom production also has disadvantages. Among them is seasonality.

What mushrooms should you grow?

One of the important points of a business plan is to decide what kind of mushrooms you will grow. There are several cost-effective options.

Porcini mushroom is one of the most sought after and valuable species. It is included in many dishes, so it is in high demand. But at the same time, growing porcini mushroom is quite difficult, because it grows near trees in the garden or forest. And in greenhouses it is necessary to create conditions as close as possible to natural ones.
Oyster mushrooms are also a popular variety and the easiest to grow. Oyster mushrooms require a large area, and the monthly harvest can reach 14 kg. Oyster mushrooms contain many useful and nutritious substances.
Champignon mushrooms are one of the expensive varieties. To grow them, you need to purchase compost; there is also high competition in the market with other producers. And you need to purchase champignon mycelium from specialized companies.
Shiitake is an exotic variety of mushroom that is popular in the East. It is mainly purchased by Japanese restaurants. But with its popularization, more and more people want to learn how to cook Japanese dishes on their own, which is why these exotic mushrooms appear in supermarkets. Shiitake has medicinal properties and is much more expensive than other varieties. But the disadvantages include the fact that their production is not well-established, and the mycelium is brought from abroad, it is expensive. Therefore, the cost is high, but if there is a sales market, then the profit will be large.
Truffle is a delicious mushroom. Its peculiarity is that it grows in forest soil at a depth of 30 cm. Therefore, to grow it, you need to rent a large plot of land and purchase expensive mycelium. Truffles do not grow as quickly as other varieties of mushrooms. But the cost is also high.

Regardless of which variety you choose, the main thing is to create suitable conditions for growing them.

Search for clients, advertising

Each business entity should strive from the very beginning to form its own customer base, which is recommended to be constantly expanded. It should target the following consumer audience:

Large and small retail outlets.
Food markets.
Restaurants.
Pizzerias.
Cafeterias.
Canteens and other catering establishments.
Enterprises that specialize in processing mushrooms and producing semi-finished products.

It is also recommended that the entrepreneur find several wholesalers who, in the event of a surplus or a regular buyer rejects a shipment of goods, will be able to buy all the mushrooms available.

To advertise its business, a business entity can use all the techniques available to it:

advertise in all local media;
order business cards, booklets, leaflets and brochures from the printing house;
place advertisements on the Internet, on all available portals, etc.

List of required documents

One of the points of a business plan for growing mushrooms is the preparation of documents.

Registration of individual entrepreneurs. For taxation, you should select the Unified Agricultural Tax code (since growing mushrooms is classified as agriculture).
Permission from the SES.
Permission from Rospotrebnadzor.
Radiology protocol.
Certificate of product conformity to GOST.
Phytosanitary certificate.
Compiled and approved rules for the storage and transportation of mushrooms.
Employee health records.

You should also keep in mind that all laboratory tests are valid as long as you grow mushrooms on the same substrate. When you change it, you need to do repeated studies.

Selecting a room

One of the conditions for growing mushrooms is the availability of suitable premises. You can use both a personal plot and a specially prepared room. This option is more suitable for those who plan to organize mass production and grow mushrooms at any time of the year.

It should be clean and dry and well ventilated. During the cold season, additional heating stoves are installed. Also, the room must have sufficiently high air humidity, which depends on the type of mushroom. To maintain it, you need to install containers with cold water.

It should also be taken into account that mushrooms do not need a lot of light. But they still need to provide short-term artificial lighting. It must be done during the ripening period of the crop.

To grow porcini mushrooms on your site, you need to make the soil as similar as possible to forest soil. Ideally, trees will grow on it. The garden plot is also suitable for growing truffles.

It is best to divide the room into several sections:

for working with the substrate and storing it;
for planting mushrooms;
for mycelium germination;
for growing and collecting mushrooms;
for processing and storing finished products.

It is imperative to disinfect the room and whitewash the walls. Having prepared the room, you can start growing mushrooms.

Business expenses

To successfully create your own business project, you need to think through rational planning in this activity. This will be useful for guiding the quick return on production or attracting investors.

In aspects of business existence, a special place is occupied by the development of a business plan. It takes into account all expenses, unplanned problems and ways to solve them.

Specific requirements must state the whole essence of the matter; in a word, the feasibility of the business must be clearly reflected in numbers and amounts. Focus on what investments you will need to open a business and what business expenses you need to expect.

Important : include additional points for increasing income in your business plan, taking into account the moment when you sell planting material to summer residents before selling finished products to the store.

The way the product is sold is your real profit. And it is important to write down the expected income. It is advisable to compare the project development plan with inflation.

Expenses

What to invest in:

purchasing materials for growing oyster mushrooms;
installation of mushroom blocks;
rental of premises;
purchase of substrate;
purchase of timber and production of shelving;
purchase of plastic bags;
business registration.
Payment of utility services;
fare;
wages for hired workers.

Equipment

When creating a mushroom business, an entrepreneur should attach special importance to a consistent indoor microclimate to create ideal conditions: ventilation, heating and air conditioning.

For the normal functioning of a room with 100 blocks you need:

Fan for industrial purposes - 1 pc.
Air humidifier – 1 pc.
Air conditioner for the growing and incubation chamber - 2 pcs.
Fluorescent lamp - 2 pcs.
Insect repellent lamp – 1 pc.
Refrigerator compartment for mushrooms - 1 pc.
Rack for 6 blocks - 17 pcs.
Scales large and small - 2 pcs.
Water pump - 1 pc.
Thermometer - 1 pc.
Barrels (capacity 200 l.). - 2 pcs.
Tables in the landing chambers - 2 pcs.
Various tools.

Purchase of mycelium

The mycelium is the mycelium from which the fruiting body of the mushroom develops. It is grown in laboratory conditions, and this could be another area for business. And the substrate is the nutrient medium necessary for growing mycelium. Before purchasing mycelium, you must check the expiration date, its appearance and smell. The seller must also have a license and certificates of conformity.

Mycelium for champignons must be purchased abroad, just like shiitake. It is quite expensive, so these mushrooms are not as popular as oyster mushrooms. But if you were able to find a sales market, then the profit will be high. You can grow oyster mushroom mycelium yourself. The process is not too complicated. This is why it is one of the most popular varieties of mushrooms to grow.

Equipment and raw materials

To grow mushrooms, you do not need to purchase expensive equipment. You can purchase both new and used. Some people do it themselves. You can grow mushrooms in a greenhouse. And at this point you can save a lot, which is important for a novice entrepreneur.

Steam generator for processing the substrate - 30,000 rubles.
Pasteurizer for its processing, 2 pieces - 8,000 rubles.
Air humidifier - 7,000 rubles.
Heater - 3,000 rubles.
Ventilation equipment - 4,000 rubles.

The total cost of equipment is 52,000 rubles. You will also need plastic bags, a refrigerator for storing finished products, containers for them, and lighting devices. You also need to purchase raw materials for growing mushrooms.

You can use straw or sunflower husks as a substrate - it is more profitable to purchase them from large farms from the fields.
Mycelium - its cost depends on what type of mushroom you are purchasing it for.
Nutritional supplements.

Equipment for growing mushrooms is one of the items on which you can save a lot, which is attractive for a novice entrepreneur.

How to organize the process of growing champignons at home

Room

The effectiveness of the champignon breeding process depends on your initial capabilities. This variety of mushrooms can be grown almost anywhere.

Business can be organized:

on a summer cottage,
in the apartment,
in the basement or garage
or in any abandoned building.

The main condition for a room is its insulation. It must be closed and arranged like a greenhouse, because the growing process will last throughout the year.

The temperature in the room must be maintained at 18–27 degrees Celsius, and the humidity in it must be at least 85%.

The farm must be provided with basic communications:

organize an uninterrupted supply of water and its subsequent discharge into sewer networks. For small rooms, humidity is provided by irrigating bags with substrate;
it is important to have ventilation outlets and heating in winter;
if the selected room is large, then you will also need to install air conditioning and humidification systems.

In practice, mushrooms can be grown in premises with an area of 15 square meters. m.

Breeding technologies

Having decided on a place to set up the production process, you need to choose a growing method.

At the moment, the following methods are available :

Growing in blocks A very popular breeding method on the market. The soil is compacted into briquettes, where cultivation takes place. As a result, the “crops” can be conveniently moved and used.

Growing mushrooms in bags The lowest cost production method in terms of finances and space taken up. The soil and mycelium are poured into bags, which can be stored hanging or lying down.

Growing in wooden containers The crop is grown in special containers impregnated with antifungal compounds. This method reduces the risk of mushroom contamination. Most often used in England, America and Canada. Due to the fact that the cost of containers is very high, the method has not taken root in Russia.

The Dutch method is the cultivation of mushrooms on shelves without the use of additional containers. The soil and seedlings are placed on top of the film layer.

For more information about business using this method of growing champignon mushrooms at home, watch the video:

"Grandfather's" method The oldest method of growing, which consists of planting mushrooms in beds. The high probability of microbial penetration and the need for constant manual labor have cooled the hearts of lovers of this method. Refers to cheap methods of growing mushrooms.

Soil preparation

Regardless of which mushroom cultivation technology you choose, the next step will be preparing the soil for a mushroom nursery.

Soil for champignons is a special substrate prepared by mixing wheat straw and biological fertilizers (chicken manure, horse or cow manure). The compost is mixed in certain proportions, water is added to it and the whole mixture is left to stand for 2 weeks.

You can make such compost with your own hands, but in the case of champignons, experts strongly recommend buying the substrate from professionals .

The slightest mistake when preparing the soil yourself can lead to the loss of a significant part of the crop. The correct choice of compost guarantees high mushroom yields.

It is worth noting that in our country there are many farms specializing in the production of compost for champignons. Therefore, there should be no problems with the choice, and especially with the purchase.

Acquisition of mycelium

Mycelium is seedlings (spores) for mushrooms. It is the basis of your future harvest, so the process of acquiring it should be taken very seriously. Beginning entrepreneurs should buy seed material exclusively from companies specializing in this or large mushroom farms.

Online forums for mushroom pickers and advice from experienced specialists will provide good assistance in the process of finding a supplier.

To confirm the quality of the “hotbeds”, you should pay attention to the following points:

Availability of licenses and quality certificates.
The color of the raw material should be uniformly white.
The presence of a pleasant smell of mushrooms.

Breeding process

As a result of completing all the previous steps, you will have everything you need to begin the production process.

Next we will describe mushroom cultivation using bag growing technology .

This is the cheapest and most rational way to produce mushrooms at home:

After mixing the soil base with the mycelium, it is necessary to put the resulting mixture into bags in layers. Small holes are pre-made in the bottom of the bags, which avoids the accumulation of moisture at the bottom. Next, you need to leave the bag for 3 days, after which you need to make 5 or 6 slits in the bag.
After this, the bag should be placed in a dark room and wait about 2-3 weeks. During this time, mushrooms form in the slits.
Next, the bag should be transferred to a room with round-the-clock lighting, without changing the temperature background of the room.
After the mushrooms reach a “saleable” size, the harvest is harvested and the bags are transferred back to a dark room. After 6–7 days, a new crop will appear in the slots of the bags.

Thus, with proper organization of the business, rational use of the premises and available resources, it is possible to organize a production process consisting of 5–6 cycles.

Read about directions and ideas for the development of farming as a business in a separate article. In this material we will look at where it is better to open a current account for an individual entrepreneur.

At the link https://svoy-biznes.com/biznes-planyi/torgovlya/ovoshhehranilishhe.html we will talk about the features of drawing up a business plan for a vegetable storage facility.

How to grow porcini mushroom?

The porcini mushroom is one of the most valuable varieties. The technology for growing it depends on the conditions you created for it.

On a personal plot. First you need to make a special solution: break the mushroom caps and soak them in cold water for a day. On the site, remove the top layer of soil near the trees and water the already prepared planting area with this solution. It is worth planting the porcini mushroom in late spring - early summer in the southern part of the country. If you live in the middle zone, then planting is carried out in late summer - early autumn. To speed up growth, you can purchase porcini mushroom mycelium. You dig a pit 20-30 cm deep. The first layer is a substrate, then humus, then a layer of mycelium, and on top is a nutrient mixture. Then everything is carefully covered with earth. This is a technology for growing porcini mushrooms on the site.
In the greenhouse you need to create conditions that are as close to natural as possible. Fungal spores are planted in boxes and placed on shelves. For planting, they use compost, which you can make yourself (from straw, sawdust, sunflower husks, chalk) or purchase. It is poured with hot water and left to infuse for 2-3 weeks. Periodically it needs to be shaken and watered. Then the mycelium is planted in this compost and laid out in boxes. Also, the room should have dim light, sufficient humidity and good ventilation.

The porcini mushroom is more demanding to care for, but its cost is higher than that of oyster mushrooms and champignons. If you create and maintain the necessary conditions, you will have a good harvest of porcini mushrooms.

Growing oyster mushrooms

There are two options for growing oyster mushrooms. These mushrooms are the easiest to care for and grow. It is also quite easy to purchase mycelium for oyster mushrooms.

You need to make a substrate from straw, sawdust and fresh sunflower husks. All components are crushed and poured with hot water. When the mixture has cooled, it is placed in polypropylene bags. When laying, alternate layers of substrate and mycelium. The total proportion of mycelium should be 3-5% of the weight of the bag. It is necessary to make small holes for ventilation. For the first month, oyster mushrooms are stored in a dark, warm room with high humidity. They should then be moved to a cooler place where they ripen. The first harvest can be harvested within a few weeks, with oyster mushrooms growing in waves.
For this technology of growing oyster mushrooms, you will need to use wood and stumps. You need stumps of deciduous trees, on which the mycelium is placed and kept indoors at high humidity until the mycelium appears. They are then planted in the soil to maintain constant moisture. But this option has low yield, so it is rarely used.

The technology for growing oyster mushrooms is quite simple and does not require large expenses. Therefore, they are also often chosen by budding entrepreneurs.

Growing champignons

To grow champignons, you need a special substrate or compost, and it is also necessary to maintain suitable conditions to create a special microclimate. To make your own substrate, you will need:

fresh dry straw;
chicken droppings or horse manure;
plaster or chalk;
ammonium sulfate.

All these components are laid in layers and left to infuse for a month, regularly watering this substrate. And once a week you need to shake it. When the ammonia smell disappears from the mixture, it means it is ready for planting champignon mushrooms.

Investments, income and expenses

The profitability of growing mushrooms is quite high. It mainly depends on the chosen variety and investments. You can save a lot if the premises are not rented from you. Here is an example of starting capital taking into account the rental of premises:

rental of premises - 18,000 rubles (the more square meters, the higher the cost);
registration of an enterprise - 20,000 rubles;
raw materials - 30,000 rubles;
equipment - 52,000 rubles;
tools - 40,000 rubles;
consumables - 10,000 rubles;
transport costs - 70,000 rubles;
other costs - 30,000 rubles.

The total amount of initial investment is 260,000 rubles. Here are the monthly production costs:

premises rental - 18,000;
utility bills - 7,000;
raw materials - 15,000;
payment of wages to employees - 60,000;
transport costs - 16,000.

The total amount is 116,000 rubles. You can save a lot if you don’t rent premises, if you have a small production and don’t need many employees. You will also increase your return on investment if customers pick up the products themselves. This will allow you to significantly save on transport. The profitability of growing mushrooms is 60-70%, which makes it one of the profitable areas of small business.

Financial plan

Investments in the project

Growing mushrooms will require small investments, which include:

Air conditioning – 25,000 rubles.
Equipment and materials for mushroom blocks – 6200 rubles.
Registration of business activities – 800 rubles.
Arranging a workplace for a sales manager – 50,000 rubles.

Total initial investment will require about 82,000 rubles.

Current expenses

The monthly expenditure portion of the financial plan includes:

Rent of production premises – 15,000 rubles.
Utilities, internet, communication – 2000 rubles.
The wage fund is 67,000 rubles.
Substrate, mycelium and other materials – 30,000 rubles.
Taxes – 3500 rubles.

The total monthly expenses are planned to be 117,000 rubles.

Income

The average wholesale price for 1 kilogram of oyster mushrooms is about 170 rubles.

If you use 100 square meters of production space, you can get 900 kg of mushrooms monthly. If the products are fully sold, the income will be 153,000 rubles.

Profit calculation

Growing oyster mushrooms on an area of about one hundred square meters will give 36,000 rubles in net profit.

Sales market

Most often, mushrooms are purchased in bulk. The main clients are large stores, restaurants, processing plants. When business is done correctly, customers pick up the harvest at their own expense. They try to sell finished products as quickly as possible or prepare them for further processing.

You can also sell the product at retail. Mushrooms are sold at the market or in small trading areas. In order for you to have a regular clientele, you need to come up with a name for the company, beautiful, bright packaging on which you can place useful information for the consumer.

Stages of organization

To grow oyster mushrooms, a business entity needs to study technology, which involves four main stages:

Mycelium (seed material) is purchased.
The substrate is being prepared.
Mushrooms are grown.
Finished products are sold.

Once a plan has been drawn up, growing oyster mushrooms can begin in a specially equipped room. Immediately after planting the mycelium, the business entity must begin searching for clients, since after harvesting it will have only 5 days to sell it.

Product processing

Sometimes the harvest is greater than the demand. Therefore, to prevent products from spoiling, they need to be processed. You can make mushroom preparations: freeze them, pickle them and dry them. To do this, you need to organize a production and procurement workshop. In addition to mushrooms, you can add berries. Only all your production must comply with sanitary standards.

Many believed that growing mushrooms involved great financial risks. But now more and more people understand that this is a profitable area of small business. Now they grow not only well-known varieties, such as oyster mushrooms, champignons and porcini mushrooms, but also more exotic ones - shiitake and truffles.

This is an excellent option for a novice entrepreneur, especially if you have a premises or a personal plot. And minimal costs allow you to quickly achieve a stable and high income. If you take a responsible approach to organizing production and growing mushrooms, then you will have a good harvest and you will enjoy running this business.

What you need to grow mushrooms at home

But no matter how good everything sounds, there is always the same old tune about having a basic, starting financial foundation. Specifically in my case, this melody played, perhaps, louder than the others. But once I was truly interested in the idea and spent some time collecting information, I had to move on. Due to my age, I am prone to making opportunistic decisions, which obviously worked in my favor, while I am young - I have to take risks, otherwise the next opportunity may not present itself. Risk means wasted time, effort and knowledge, in the event of a fiasco, as well as money that I didn’t have - other people’s money.

How to start your own business with minimal investment

Continuing to accumulate information about the mushroom industry, I came to the conclusion that investments can be minimized using certain factors, the decisive ones being physical labor and the natural “curvature of the hands.” In other words, you can spend an impressive fortune on purchasing the necessary equipment and components, on paying for all kinds of services that are necessary to bring a business to life, or you can first do without expensive mechanisms, or partially without them, replacing or creating your own, original tools that may well turn out to be more practical and convenient - at least for you and your technological aspect in business. If it’s time to make this or that “device” yourself instead of spending hard-earned money on it, then why not try it?

Having realized that it is not necessary to have a millionaire dad, I began to study the data on growing mushrooms in more depth. As we studied the information, the following difficulty emerged, ironically resulting from solving the problem of financing. As you might have already guessed, this is a complication associated with large amounts of physical activity during the process of setting up a workplace.