Mushroom farm - an idea for your own business

Any business is a kind of earnings, which almost every one of us seeks. At present, each person wants to be financially independent and earn a living by the activities that are of greatest interest. Otherwise, the work will seem hard labor. In this connection, a business like a mushroom farm can become a good earner.

In favor of this can be given statistics, according to which a third of the total population living in Russia, prefers to eat mushrooms. At the same time, some are sent to search for them independently, but most of them save time visiting markets or shops where the mushrooms are already collected and left to be taken away, however, for some amount. And the consumption of these products increases every year by 20-25%.

The reason for wide demand

The increasing demand for mushrooms is due to several reasons. First of all, it is worth noting their low cost, in comparison with sea or meat products. As for the benefits, they are not inferior to the mentioned products in terms of the nutrients useful to the human body.

Due to the high content of protein and minerals (potassium, phosphorus, sulfur, magnesium and other substances) in products, one can understand the relevance of such a business as a home-made mushroom farm. Oyster mushroom, champignon, shiitake - all these mushrooms are just a real storehouse for our body.

That is characteristic, dried mushrooms people are assimilated in the best way, rather than in a fresh kind. And due to the presence of unsaturated fatty acids in the walls of the vessels there is no deposition of salts.

Advantages and disadvantages of doing business

What are the positive aspects of the mushroom business? First of all, this is a small amount of initial contributions, which is not the case with every business. Other weighty pluses are:

• Not seasonal;
• High percentage of profitability;
• Constantly increasing demand in the Russian market;
• Harvest can be collected every week;
• One substrate can be used up to three times.

In addition, if you make a mushroom farm, you do not have to spend a lot on renting a room.

Unfortunately, such activities also have their own disadvantages. One of these is the complex sale of products for wholesale buyers. It is also difficult to maintain the necessary conditions for the proper development of mushrooms.

What is to be implemented?

Often, those who are faced with the need to open a business, are wondering what can be sold or what services to provide. Considering in this case an example of a mushroom farm, it is possible to distinguish several segments of the market in which products can be delivered in the following form:

• Fresh:
• Frozen;
• Canned.

Sometimes the market can be supplemented with dried mushrooms. As noted by the general director of the institution of the School of Mushrooming, A. V. Khrenov, the Russian market is filled with fresh products by approximately 22%; 28% falls on canned mushrooms. The rest 50% are frozen products.

In favor of such a business as a mushroom farm, it is worthwhile to bring some interesting data obtained from a large supplier. In 2004, the domestic market was filled with frozen mushrooms for 15 thousand tons, and the total amount of useful product was 30 thousand tons. Although market experts call other figures - 60 thousand tons. And the most developed segment is frozen mushrooms, the demand for which increases year by year by 30%.

At the same time, the total consumption of mushrooms for the whole of 2003 amounted to nearly 500 thousand tons, which is equivalent to the consumption of at least 3 kg of this product by each person. For comparison, in the US per capita there were no more than 2.5 kg of mushrooms. Thus, this gives the ground for thinking about what it is that can be sold to the market.

Where to begin?

Any entrepreneurial activity, including a domestic mushroom farm, can not do without the drawing up of a competent business plan. Thanks to him you can determine the important stages through which to go. The plan for the cultivation and further realization of fungi may include several important steps, during which it is necessary:

• Purchase seed;
• Prepare the substrate (raw materials);
• Directly grow mushrooms;
• Sell the goods.

It is also necessary to resolve issues of equipment selection, hire personnel and take into account a number of other, no less important points. However, we will not run ahead and try to consider this type of business from all sides.

The legal side of the question

Before you start moving to active action, you need to settle the legal side of the business. Since fungi are food products, it is necessary to settle some issues with the state before the mushroom farm opens. This business requires passing the procedure for registering its activities and providing data to the tax service. You can act as an individual entrepreneur, according to OKVED code - A.01.12.31. After that, you need to choose a taxation system. In this case, it will be sufficient to choose a single agricultural tax.

Next, you need to visit a few structures. First you can go to the fire department for permission. Next you need to confirm the quality of the products, for which you need to send a lot of mushrooms for analysis. If everything is in order, the laboratory issues a certificate of quality, with which you can start your business.

Only still need to issue a number of documents, one of them is a license that gives the right to sell mushrooms. Another document is a phytosanitary certificate. Also it does not hurt to acquire instructions on storage and transportation of products.

Selection of raw materials

An extremely important stage of business is the selection of raw materials, from which the mushrooms of the mushroom farm are grown. To this end, the mycelium or, as it is called, the mycelium is used. This basic seed is usually available in virtually any mushroom farm. However, if you already have experience, you can grow it yourself.

By purchasing the so-called licensed seed, first of all, it is necessary to make sure of its quality. A good mycelium differs in white color, produces a pleasant mushroom smell and there are no stains on it. It is not superfluous to ask the seller for a license, which he must have.

The second necessary raw material is the substrate - it is on it that mushrooms grow. You can also make it yourself. For this, straw (wheat, rye, barley), flax and flax corn can be included in the composition. And to make the mushroom farm produce more crops, you can add the following components:

• sawdust;
• shavings;
• Woody bark;
• Chaff and other household waste.

When you make an independent substrate, the main thing is to make sure that the raw materials used are environmentally friendly. Otherwise, you can incur large crop losses, and the quality of the mushrooms due to the availability of various chemicals will leave the best.

Buying a ready-made substrate from different manufacturers, you can be sure that out of 10 kg of raw materials you can grow up to 2 kg of mushrooms. Of course, if all the necessary conditions for their cultivation are observed. Only it is worth taking into account that such an amount of substrate is equal to the cost of 1 kg of mushrooms at a wholesale price.

Champignons and oyster mushrooms

Before you open your activities, you need to know its specifics. No exception is the mushroom farm, the mushrooms are marked by increased requirements for the conditions of development. For the substrate on which mushrooms will be grown, it is best to use straw from wheat. Preliminary it must be well dried, chopped and soaked in water. Since the straw absorbs it perfectly, you should take this proportion: 2.5 parts of the liquid for 1 part of the straw. After that, in damp straw, add manure or chicken manure and leave the compost for maturation. Usually it takes two weeks, and special aerated containers are used to allow air access.

This compost is ideal for growing a rich harvest of champignons and veshenok. But due to the laborious work on its creation for the latter, it is not used, since it is possible to do with a simpler version - a substrate.

The room

The search for and selection of suitable premises play an important role for business such as a mushroom farm, champignons require optimal conditions for development. Already experienced entrepreneurs in this matter give preference to the cultivation chambers, in which the necessary conditions for the microclimate are maintained. In this case, even the level of carbon dioxide content can vary, depending on the stage of development of fungi.

But for beginners it is quite possible to stop your choice on a greenhouse, a cellar or a shed. The selected room must be equipped with ventilation and heating systems. The temperature should be around 12-16, but not more than 25 degrees. It is extremely important to provide a high level of humidity - up to 80 or 90%. For a small room it is not difficult to maintain it, it is enough to irrigate bags with a substrate. But if large-scale production is planned, then air conditioners and air humidifiers can not be avoided.

Also, the construction of a mushroom farm implies the presence of electrical wiring in the premises and uninterrupted supply of water. We need to take care of the removal of its surplus.

Regarding the dimensions, here it is necessary to take into account the scale of production. To begin with, you can choose a room with an area of 15 to 20 square meters. M. However, if in the future it is planned to expand production, then the premises need to choose in advance a more spacious one. It can be purchased or rented. It all depends on the size of the initial investment. If there is enough money, it is better to buy a room immediately, otherwise there remains a rent.

In addition to the main working area, the room should provide for storage and pasteurization of the substrate. For this purpose it is better to make separate rooms for convenience.

Equipment

The question of arrangement of a premise directly depends on what culture the mushroom farm will grow. Oyster mushrooms in this respect are unpretentious mushrooms, and champignons need certain conditions. With regard to technical equipment, the list should include the following equipment:

• Refrigerating chamber;
• Humidifiers;
• Heaters;
• Steam generators.

When growing veshenok also need bags, where they will grow. To collect mushrooms you can use wooden or plastic boxes. Acquired raw materials, in particular straw, must undergo a temperature treatment. For this purpose, steam generators are also purchased in which the pasteurization procedure takes place. If there is not enough natural light in the room, then it's worth taking care of buying fluorescent lamps.

Hiring

It is worth noting that mushroom farms in Russia require the presence of personnel, as one entrepreneur can not cope with such a business, no matter how hard he tries. Therefore, for the prosperity of the business and to avoid losses, it is necessary to think about hiring employees.

There are no special requirements for the future staff, as they do not teach the basics of mushroom science in our country. The only mandatory condition for hiring employees is that they have a health record. As in any other work, the candidates are encouraged to have no bad habits, honesty, honesty. If you want, you can hire a specialist in this field, only his salary will be higher than usual. As an option, offer interest on the sale of mushrooms.

How many people will work on the farm, directly depends on the volume of farmed produce. If the planned volume implies the cultivation of up to 50-100 kg of mushrooms per day, then two people will perfectly cope with the work. If the volume is more - 200-300 kg daily, then the staff should be increased to 3 or 4 people.

But these people will work directly with mushrooms. Therefore, it is recommended to hire two workers or one person to prepare the substrate. Another will deal with sales issues. If the entrepreneur does not understand anything in financial matters, then it is necessary to hire an accountant.

Sale of goods

When developing a business plan, it is important to include a marketing point for mushrooms. The main consumers can be found among:

• Supermarkets;
• Markets;
• Wholesale buyers;
• Shops;
• Restaurants and canteens.

From the point of view of optimal implementation, the most interesting are the wholesale buyers. This allows the sale of large quantities of products, which positively affects the growth of profits.

But it is worth considering that the wholesale price is lower than the market price of mushrooms. But, at the same time, the risk of damage to the goods is significantly reduced. And to slightly reduce the costs of transporting mushrooms, production capacity should be located in close proximity to the city.

Calculation of profitability

The financial part of the plan, which includes expenses and probable income, should also be provided. Among the costs will be listed the following items:

• Rent - from 12 to 13 thousand rubles per month.
• The cost of raw materials - about 80 thousand rubles.
• Salary to workers - 35 thousand rubles. / Month.
• Communal payments - from 9 to 10 thousand rubles.
• Transportation of raw materials and finished products - from 16 to 17 thousand rubles.

The planned profit, if you subtract the equipment of the mushroom farm and the listed expenses, will be 300 thousand rubles. per month. If you take into account one-time fees for the opening of the enterprise, then the payback of the business will take six months.