What is a nutritious alternative to meat? Of course, mushrooms. Many of them contain such an amount of protein that is completely and completely absorbed by the human body. The most popular mushrooms are champignons. Mushroom cultivation is a pretty profitable business, if only because competition is negligible. In Russia and the CIS countries, a very small percentage of mushroom farms. Therefore, to start a business, it is worth discussing the details with venerable pros in this field. You can find them on various thematic forums.
To sell mushrooms on an industrial scale, you will need the farm itself, where they will be grown.
Startup Costs
The basis of any project is the place where it will be implemented. The size of this place depends only on your ambitions and desires. Want to grow about 2–3 tons of mushrooms for sale? Hence, the room can not be less than 100 squares. In addition, there are special requirements for the premises - it must be closed. There are several options - buy a plot for construction and build a farm from scratch, or buy a room that was in use, and repair it.
[caption id = "attachment_4603" align = "alignright" width = "300"]
Own business: Growing champignons [/ caption]
It is difficult to say for sure which option is cheaper. Depends on the building, its technical characteristics, the required repairs. Sometimes a new building is cheaper than repairing an old one. And, of course, each region has its own price for land, premises, repairs. Growing champignons requires a large building, which can easily fit a mycelium.
Mushroom cultivation begins with the purchase of mycelium. This is mycelium (soil with pores of mushrooms). You need to buy them only from those companies that have been tested for years, are popular with other mushroom pickers. There are options for what kind of soil to buy, more on this later. About 50-60 thousand rubles will be spent on the acquisition of mycelium. Not too expensive investments.
The key to a good harvest is proper watering and compost. And about that, and about the other, it is necessary to find out in advance from specialists, otherwise mistakes cannot be avoided. In order for the business to generate income, it is necessary to invest not only funds, but also the soul, knowledge and skills.
Total starting capital for growing champignons:
- a room (at a minimum - from 50 thousand rubles),
- mycelium (50 thousand rubles).
Business features
Composters with pores come in several forms. So, according to experts, the most convenient are soil briquettes. These are mycelium compressed into small blocks that are easy to transport and grow.
The oldest way is beds. The soil is poured onto the film, where it is processed manually. Expensive and unsafe.
The technology of growing champignons allows you to do this in special containers. For the most part, these are deep wood boxes with mushrooms. They cultivate the earth with special solutions from fungi and microbes. In Russia, this method is not very popular.
There are several other methods that have spread in certain countries, but have not found application in the CIS countries. This is the Dutch method - growing on shelves (a process similar to beds, only shelves can save space). And another method is bagging. Mushrooms are suspended in bags, which can significantly reduce the cost of space and care. Not to mention that fungal diseases are easier to prevent with this method.
If you plan to grow mushrooms at home, then the ideal option would be to grow in bags. It’s easier to localize the infection - just remove the bag.
Whatever method you choose, remember that the key to success is the right compost and soil.It is necessary to acquire it only after consultation with specialists. There are not so many high-quality manufacturing companies. Self-composting is not recommended, especially if there is no experience and skills. Otherwise, you can completely ruin the crop and the mycelium itself.
Estimated income
It’s hard to predict revenues in such a business. It is known for certain that 1 kg of mushrooms costs about 170-220 rubles in retail chains. At a growth rate of even 5 tons, you can get a stable income that will pay off costs. Mushroom cultivation is profitable only if a distribution channel is established. It is important to immediately find your customers. It can be both restaurants and cafes, and large retail store chains. Not to mention that there are many small shops ready to sell mushrooms. It is better to negotiate with the buyer in advance, so that you can immediately send the right amount to the buyer from the finished crop.
Business details
Mushrooms before harvest grow on average a couple of months. At this time, it is important to provide them with care. The costs should include: electricity bills, heating, the purchase of peat, wages for workers. The latter, by the way, can be hired from various student universities, from biology faculties. They will be interested in not how much payment, how much experience with "live" material. In addition, such workers will always be responsible in their duties.
During the year, it will be possible to harvest about six times. The average weight of the collected product (from one ton of compost) is about three hundred kilograms. It is very rare that weight exceeds this figure. It turns out that with good care you can get about 1.8 tons of mushrooms per year from just one ton of soil. And if you have 5-7 of them? Counting is not difficult.
Mushroom cultivation is a profitable business that requires large investments only at the initial stage. During the same year, it is important to carefully monitor the condition of the mycelium, it is important to water in a timely manner, and choose the right material. In winter, the mushroom farm needs shelter from the cold (like a greenhouse). This is an additional cost only if you have not previously spent on it.
You can get advice and advice from mushroom professionals on various online resources for free. Suppliers of soil and compost can be found there or on manufacturers' websites. The main criterion is the experience and popularity of the company.
