Growing oyster mushrooms as a business: reviews, photos. Business plan for growing oyster mushrooms at home

This business is worth doing for many reasons. These include the fact that mushrooms grow in about 3 weeks. Mushrooms do not require special care. You can grow mushrooms throughout the year. The cost of mushrooms in winter can increase to 200-250 rubles per 1 kilogram.

Often, mushrooms such as oyster mushrooms are chosen for cultivation, as they provide the greatest benefit.

Before opening a mushroom growing business, one should obtain a food trading license and a sanitary license. Mushrooms as a food have high requirements that must be met in order to run a successful business.

You can choose any room for growing mushrooms, there are no special requirements for it. The area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe room can also be any, depending on how much you are going to grow mushrooms.

There are also no high requirements for personnel. Education can be anything. The main thing is that the staff has a sanitary book and the desire to grow mushrooms. A well-chosen team is already half the success.

To grow mushrooms you will need the following equipment

• cooling chamber
• heaters
• humidifiers
• greenhouse

You can sell grown mushrooms by selling them on the market, retail outlets, through shops, food facilities, canteens, and so on. The larger the batch of mushrooms, the lower their wholesale cost will be, however, due to the large number of mushrooms, the profit will be greater than from retail sales.

To increase the chances of success, it is necessary to draw up a good business plan for growing mushrooms. Below are a few of them.

Download farming business plan

- describes the process of creating and justifying a business for the industrial cultivation of oyster mushrooms. A distinctive feature of this example is the presence of a financial model in it. This plan also takes into account the development trends of the mushroom market for several years ahead. It also contains visual graphs and examples of calculations.

- In this regard, an example is the creation of an enterprise for the cultivation and sale of mushrooms such as champignons. This example will serve well for aspiring entrepreneurs with different income levels. It contains information about the market analysis, a sales plan and pricing is presented, possible risks are also assessed and the economic effect is calculated.

– This example describes a project to create a large complex for the cultivation of oyster mushrooms. The purpose of this plan is to justify the effectiveness of this project and attract outside investors. It contains the company's strategy, assessment of strengths, weaknesses, risks (SWOT analysis), business promotion and its marketing policy, etc.

- will be useful for small entrepreneurs who do not have large funds at their disposal. This plan justifies the opening of a small business for growing mushrooms on a personal plot, with a view to their further implementation. In the future, it is planned to expand the business to industrial volumes and organize permanent sales and production.

Briefly touching on all aspects of the cultivation and sale of mushrooms. Arguments are given in favor of growing both oyster mushrooms and champignons, however, financial calculations are given specifically for the technology of growing champignons.

In which special attention is paid to the technology of growing and caring for champignons. By adhering to the proposed scheme, you can achieve a rich harvest in 30-40 days from the date of sowing. The profitability of such a business will be about 50%.

In the proposed business plan, the entire production process is divided into three main stages. The first, "mycelium production" is optional, since it is relevant only for large farms. The rest - "substrate preparation" and "sales of products" are universal.

According to which, the profitability of such a business will be 100%. Since the main costs will come down to buying a bag of nutrient medium. Such a business plan is especially convenient, since the cultivation of oyster mushrooms does not depend on the season of the year, and demand increases every year.

In which the technology for the production of oyster mushrooms is described in detail and advice is given on organizing the marketing of manufactured products. A separate item lists expenses, prudently divided into one-time initial and regular.

In which, in addition to the issues of growing directly mushroom products, attention is paid to the production of the substrate. The nutrient medium of own production often turns out to be more cost-effective, both in terms of resources spent and in terms of increased yields, thanks to the bio-additives used.

The total cost of the project is slightly more than 65 thousand rubles. According to the business plan, it is planned to sell 1.2 tons of mushroom products in the first year. Tables of calculations for the purchase of equipment are given and an approximate marketing plan is drawn up.

In which the initial investment in the business is 250 thousand rubles. The payback of the economy is no more than six months, and with a well-established sales of products, there are opportunities to expand the business. The profitability of such a business ranges from 40 to 100%.

The business plan lists 5 different systems for organizing the cultivation of champignons and provides arguments both for and against each of the above technologies. In addition, all important aspects of sales planning and legal registration of activities are briefly described.

Which explains in detail all stages of the production of mushroom products. The purchase of equipment, according to such a plan, will cost you from 50 to 90 thousand rubles. All other money will go to the purchase of nutrient substrate and mycelium.

Setting itself the goal of organizing the production of mushrooms at minimal cost. Homestead farming is used as the basis for organizing production, and in the first year it is planned to collect and sell at least 2 tons of mushroom products.

Until recently, oyster mushrooms were an exotic product on our market. But a few years later they firmly won the demand and love of consumers. Therefore, the business of growing these mushrooms has become quite stable and profitable. Let's look at some aspects of this paperwork. Let's try to find out how profitable this business is. What period of time is needed to make a profit. What pitfalls and what costs await those who decide to start growing mushrooms.

The income from such a farming business is quite high. This is due to the good demand for the product. Plus, you can grow oyster mushrooms even at home, for this you don’t need to buy or rent a room - saving money on the face. Oyster mushrooms can be called the most profitable mushrooms, because they require minimal care.

It will not take much time to receive the final product - approximately six weeks. Considering that mushrooms do not need constant supervision, the farmer can successfully do other things and combine his main work with growing oyster mushrooms. It is enough to allocate a few hours a week to care for the product.

Profitability in numbers

Let's calculate how profitable such a business is. Oyster mushroom on the market costs about $ 1.5 per kilogram. During the year, up to 4 tons of mushrooms can be grown on an area of ​​100 square meters. This means that the net profit will be up to $ 500 per month. If you increase the sown area and establish a sales market, then the profit will be several times higher. The positive aspects of this business are as follows:

• minimum investment;
• free market;
• minimum effort to establish a business;
• high payback;
• growing at home.

By minimizing time, effort and costs, you can have a good additional income.

Features of growing oyster mushrooms

First you need to find a suitable room in which you can monitor the temperature, humidity and light. Oyster mushrooms have three stages of growth, and it is very important to regulate climatic conditions at each of them. Another important step is the cleanliness of the premises, which must be maintained constantly.

The straw or shavings in which the mycelium is placed must be pasteurized. This will protect the mushrooms from a possible source of contamination. Before sowing mushrooms, do not forget to disinfect and wipe the surface. Any actions related to cultivation must be carried out only with clean hands. So you will not be able to bring in unfavorable bacteria, and the yield will increase several times, which will positively affect profits.

Oyster mushroom cultivation technology

If you correctly organize the process of growing mushrooms, then the profit will be stable, and the product will be of high quality. To start your production, you need to complete only six steps.

1. It is necessary to purchase bedding and good mycelium. You can use sawdust or straw. The preferred option is straw, which must be pre-chopped. It is advisable to add fertilizer in the form of compost to the litter.
2. Next, sprinkle the chopped straw with compost with water and heat it in boiling water. The heating process will take about half an hour. Then we remove the straw from the water and dry it a little. Spread the bedding on a clean surface and let cool.
3. We pack the cooled straw together with the mycelium in plastic bags. We fall asleep 5-7 cm of straw, sprinkle with mycelium, then straw again, and again mycelium. In this order, fill the bags completely. We tightly tie the bag and pierce several holes for air exchange with a knife. The bags are placed on racks.
4. This is followed by incubation - the first phase of cultivation. It requires a stable temperature and lack of natural light. There must be special red lamps in the room for checking. When small mushrooms resembling a pinhead appear in the holes, you can proceed to the next phase.
5. The second phase involves maintaining the humidity level in the room. The best way to measure humidity is with a moisture meter. The temperature in the room should not exceed 20 degrees. Oyster mushrooms need a lot of sunlight at this stage, so try to get at least 12 hours of natural light. There is one secret trick in order to get a higher yield: bags with mycelium must be placed in a cooler and darker place for a day, and then returned to their previous shelves. Thus, the mycelium will experience a shock, and from this the mushrooms will grow more intensively.
6. The last stage is the harvest. When the caps are fully formed in the mushrooms, it is necessary to carefully cut them off on the bags. After the first harvest, the bags must be sent back to the racks and the conditions of the first phase must be created. The mycelium is still fruitful, so after six weeks, get another crop. With just one bookmark, you can collect up to four crops.

By the way, you can clearly see this process in our video:

In addition to the fact that oyster mushrooms have a pleasant taste and are widely used in cooking, they are able to prevent cancer and are excellent antioxidants. Growing these mushrooms is an easy and low-cost process, so if you decide to start your own business, you risk almost nothing. With a minimum of effort, a stable and high income awaits you.

How to make money growing oyster mushrooms, what you need to start a business, why you should choose oyster mushrooms, how to grow them, what you have to spend money on, who to sell mushrooms to and how much you can earn from this agricultural activity.

This type of business can become an additional or permanent source of income for an entrepreneur and bring $500 or more monthly. The final profit figure depends on the size of the mushroom plantation.

The profitability of the business depends on what mushrooms and in what volumes will be grown. Now the most popular are champignons and oyster mushrooms.

We are about growing champignons. We will talk about oyster mushrooms below.

Growing oyster mushrooms is beneficial in that you can harvest every 2-4 weeks. Moreover, the harvest will always be stable, since this type of mushroom is very fruitful.

Business plan for growing oyster mushrooms

In order to start making money on growing mushrooms, you need to go through several stages:

1. Register with the tax office as an individual entrepreneur.
2. Find and equip a room.
3. Buy compost and everything you need to grow mushrooms (containers, bags, etc.).
4. Plant mushrooms and harvest.
5. With the first harvest, go to the SES to obtain permits and a quality certificate.
6. Find buyers (wholesale or retail).

Business registration

To register, you will need to fill out an application for an individual entrepreneur in the form P21001. In it, indicate the activity code 01.12.31. Before submitting an application, you must pay a one-time state fee of 800 rubles.

Taxation is better to choose STS 6%. Then taxes will be paid only on the total amount of income. That is, if in some month there was no profit, then you will not have to pay taxes.

room

The best room for growing oyster mushrooms is the basement. It is easy to maintain the desired microclimate in it. For example, in the cellar, you can easily get 90% of the required humidity and air temperature up to +25°C.

Oyster mushrooms can also be grown in traditional film or glass greenhouses. But maintaining the right climate in them will be much more difficult than in the basement.

Purchase of compost and inventory

It should be noted right away that compost (substrate) is not necessary to buy. You can prepare it yourself. How to do it correctly is better to read in the relevant literature.

Inventory may require a shovel, pitchfork, rake, broom, spray gun, etc. Equipment - lighting fixtures, heaters, fans, etc. What exactly you need to buy will depend on the specific situation. That is, if the room has a heating system, then there is no need to spend money on heaters. Fans should not be used if there is good ventilation.

Also, for work, you will need containers where the crop will be harvested. You may need containers or bags, in which mushrooms are most often grown. We will talk about growing technologies below.

Planting mushrooms and harvesting

As mentioned above, after planting, the first crop can be harvested in about a month. Several copies, before starting the sale, must be transferred to the SES for analysis. If the results are satisfactory, you will be issued all the necessary trade permits and a certificate of quality. By the way, you will need to pay for the last document (the exact amount can be found in the SES at the place of business).

Now it is worthwhile to deal with the described business in more detail and answer a number of popular questions.

Why oyster mushroom?

First, because growing oyster mushrooms does not require a large initial capital. You can start a business with $250 in your pocket.

Secondly, growing oyster mushrooms is much easier than the same champignons. And this can be done anywhere - in the basement, in any other room, in the greenhouse and even on the glazed balcony of the apartment.

Thirdly, the average price of oyster mushrooms in the market is $1.5 per 1 kg. In winter, the prices go up. At the same time, good demand for such mushrooms is stable all year round. Hence the profitability of more than 80% - it can reach indicators and more than 100%.

How much can you earn?

You can earn $500, $700, and more than $1,000 a month growing oyster mushrooms. Everything will depend only on the volume of mushroom production and sales activity. Also, additional income can be obtained from the sale of compost. That is, independently make the substrate and sell it to farmers or enterprises.

We have already carried out approximate calculations of income in the previous article. 120 blocks were taken into account, which gives a total of 300 kg. harvest in 2-4 weeks. And at the price of oyster mushrooms $1.5 per 1 kg. you can make a profit of $450-$500. Naturally, it must be taken into account that 6% of the tax must be subtracted from this amount. It is also worth taking into account the insurance contributions to the social security fund (pension fund).

From the figures obtained, conclusions can be drawn about the profitability of the business. To start growing mushrooms, you need to invest about $500. This amount may be less if, for example, the premises are owned and not rented. And it turns out that the business pays off already from the first harvest.

Where to sell mushrooms?

There are several answers to this question. You can sell grown mushrooms:

• On your own in vegetable markets. To do this, you need to find a suitable trading place, place an advertisement to attract the attention of buyers, and retail the mushrooms to the population. This option is good because you can set your prices after analyzing the pricing policy of competitors (if any).
• Offer oyster mushrooms to supermarkets or grocery stores. Here it is necessary to find large trade objects interested in wholesale purchases of mushrooms. But in order to sell oyster mushrooms in this way, it may be necessary to reduce the price. At least at the initial stage. This, of course, will reduce profitability, but in the future it will allow you to get a base of regular customers. Moreover, after a while it will be possible to safely raise prices.
• Offer oyster mushroom to restaurants. Mushrooms in restaurants are in good demand, as such establishments use only fresh products for cooking. And they can sell almost the entire crop without resorting to the first and second marketing options.

You can choose your own market. But the main thing to remember is that the mushrooms must be healthy and of high quality, and the prices must be reasonable.

How to grow oyster mushrooms?

For growing oyster mushrooms, it is necessary to prepare compost, mycelium, bedding and plastic bags.

Mycelium and bedding

Mycelium can be bought at the market or from farmers. Its cost is approximately $3 per 1 kg. From this kilogram you can harvest 4 crops. Therefore, the price is more than adequate and favorable.

Chopped straw is recommended as bedding. Fertilizer must also be added to it. Such a mixture will be a substrate ready for planting mushrooms. One ton of substrate is capable of producing 175 kg. oyster mushrooms. For 1 ton of compost you need 8 kg. mycelium.

Preparation of the substrate (compost)

If the straw is not crushed, then it must be crushed. After that, it is moistened with water and left for a couple of hours. Then the straw must be heated. To do this, it is placed in boiling water and boiled for 30 minutes. After the time has elapsed, the straw is removed from the boiling water, spread on a clean surface and cooled.

After the straw dries, it can be used as a substrate mixed with fertilizer.

Substrate and mycelium packaging in bags

Ready compost together with mycelium are placed in plastic bags. You need to do this like this - first, up to 7 cm of straw is filled up, and then the mycelium. Then the bag is closed and air holes are made in it (this can be done with an ordinary knife). Finished bags are laid out on shelves or racks.

Incubation period

During the period of incubation of oyster mushrooms, it is necessary to constantly monitor the temperature and humidity in the room. Natural lighting should not be allowed in the mycelium. For work it is necessary to organize lighting of red color.

Fruiting oyster mushroom

As soon as the first fruits are visible, the temperature in the room should be lowered to 17-20 ° C. Humidity, on the contrary, needs to be increased to 90-95%. It is also necessary to organize natural lighting - at least 12 hours a day.

Harvesting

After the mushroom caps are fully formed, the crop can be harvested. Oyster mushrooms are carefully trimmed and stacked in containers for storage or transportation.

After the first crop is harvested, the bags (still fruitful) are sent to the first stage - the incubation period.

For more information about the technology of growing mushrooms, we advise you to read the thematic literature.

Finally

From the foregoing, appropriate conclusions can be drawn.

The oyster mushroom growing business is suitable for those who want to start their own business without large investments with the possibility of further development and increase in income. All initial investments pay off within 1-1.5 months. The market for mushrooms is diverse, so there should be no problems with sales. The technology for growing oyster mushrooms is quite simple and does not require any serious knowledge or experience - everything will come in the process.

Before calculating profitability and searching for premises, think about the following points:

1. Mushrooms are living things they require too much personal presence. Here it will not be possible to put a couple of machines, give instructions to employees of such a plan: “Put here, press this, get it from here, pack it” and count the profit.
The oyster mushroom business, in addition to strict adherence to the growing technological map, also requires an understanding of:
- microbiological processes occurring,
- the relationship of physical phenomena observed in the chamber and biological phenomena occurring in a growing bunch.
Yield losses, by 95%, depend on the correct layout of ventilation, placement of blocks, compliance with all microclimatic parameters (humidity, air temperature, amount of CO2 - right next to the mushroom bunch).

And if, after weighing all the pros and cons, you still decide to invest, you will have to learn materiel - do not believe those who say that it is not difficult.

2. mushroom cultivation is PRODUCTION. Like any other, it requires start-up capital, special knowledge, skills and abilities.

3. It is better to develop a strategy for the formation and development of an enterprise with a specialist. He will take into account all the nuances of your specific case, offer a scheme for a convenient, logical, compact placement of all production facilities and equipment. But, even if you hire a competent technologist or design company, you will have to delve into all the details, to the smallest detail, at least at first. After all, you need to know and understand not only the subtleties of production, but also the biological features of the development of fungi.

If your farm needs an oyster mushroom grower, you or your worker. And not just theoretically, but specifically at your enterprise: together with your technologist, I will develop schemes for setting the microclimate and technological processes, as well as enterprise regulations. Even if a trained specialist leaves your farm, you will still have all the materials and developments.

4. Any, even the smallest "garage" farm, working on purchased blocks, is easier to do right from the beginning than to redo it later, having your own bitter experience of "stuffed cones".

5. Oyster mushroom, of course, can grow “anywhere” and “however” - as some online teachers promise -. But in this case, you have to put up with the lack of productivity, forget about profitability - then it will be your hobby.

Growing oyster mushrooms as a business

There is a lot of information about this on the Internet, it is contradictory, it is rather difficult to understand it. On many sites it is written that mushroom growing is a low-cost profitable business, there are also profitability calculations that promise you 100% per annum.

I can assure you that 100% profitability will come no earlier than after 2-3 years of mushroom business. This is if you initially properly equip the premises, install ventilation, calculate the loading of the substrate, and create a microclimate.

It must be understood that this craft will become profitable only when your equipment provides the conditions for the full development and growth of mushrooms, because. profitability directly depends on the growth rate and quality of fruiting bodies, as well as its yield.

For many, the opposite happens: encroaching on the sweet promises of profitable business plans for growing oyster mushrooms, beginners do nursery chambers wrong.

In many profitability calculations, the simplest household appliances are included - a 2 kW fan heater, an ultrasonic room humidifier, an axial kitchen fan.

Indeed, it costs a penny, but it is absolutely not suitable here. As a result, the first season passes with a deep monetary minus. And the money has already been invested, maybe small, but significant for you!

Convinced from their own experience that mushroom growing is hard work, mushroom pickers begin to look for reliable information, remodel their greenhouses, sheds, basements.

Why can it become unprofitable to produce oyster mushrooms? Mainly because the investments turn out to be more than planned, and the harvest is much less.
In addition, many beginners, having grown for the first time a huge, by their standards, 100 kg crop, try to get rid of the products as soon as possible - as a rule, they do not have a refrigerator. Rent at the lowest prices, sometimes lowering the total price in the city for several days. Often such unfortunate businessmen sell even below cost, and then they say - unprofitable ....

Equipment for mushroom growing.

The initial costs for growing oyster mushrooms are quite substantial.

Moreover, regardless of the tonnage that you are going to produce, you will have to buy a system that provides a microclimate. Its cost, of course, depends on the volume of the premises, but most often it is more profitable to pay a little more, buy a more powerful system and increase the tonnage - the profitability will be higher due to the reduction in the cost of production.

In winter and summer, the premises need a constant temperature (14-16 0 C), high humidity (87-92%), a certain level of CO2 (usually not higher than 900 ppm).

Heating of the mushroom room only with the help of a heat exchanger.

No warm walls, floors, batteries - with such heating it is impossible to control the state of the air mixture, its humidity, temperature, flow rate!

The stability of the parameters in the distillation chamber is ensured by a ventilation system with air ducts, which will distribute the prepared air through the chamber.

The air preparation system includes:

• two fans - forcing and exhaust, the power of which depends on the amount of substrate that is in the chamber (depending on the method of arranging the blocks, 1 ton of substrate requires from 200 to 300 cubic meters per hour of air),
• heat exchanger and air cooler,
• humidity maintenance system (nozzles, disk or ultrasonic humidifiers).

Depending on the region where you live, to get 1 ton of mushroom per month (taking into account the heating of all premises of the enterprise) - you need a boiler from 10 to 15 square meters.

All this requires considerable financial investments.

Want to make your own blocks? This will also require special equipment for the manufacture of the substrate.

the workload of the chamber with blocks and their location,
what settings are needed for a chamber of a certain volume,
how much does growing equipment cost,
What are your monthly expenses?

There are also ready-made tables with calculated ventilation and the layout of the climatic chamber for oyster mushroom forcing chambers with a load of up to 8 tons of substrate. There is also an instruction with diagrams on how to calculate the number of blocks for a certain area.

Seasonality of oyster mushroom sales.

And it should also be taken into account that mushroom consumption is not uniform throughout the year.

From year to year, there are two periods of sales activity - the whole of December with a peak of sales just before the New Year and the month before Easter, again - with a peak during a strict fast just before Easter itself.

In early May, demand drops sharply, throughout May, June, July, demand is extremely low, slowly growing in August and September, and stabilizing in October.

In rainy years in autumn, the price of products can be low for two reasons -

firstly, a large mass of forest mushrooms,

secondly, due to favorable weather conditions, the productivity (and hence the shaft) increases not only of oyster mushrooms, but also of other species too. This fact must be taken into account when planning your farm.

Many, even small enterprises, prefer to preserve oyster mushrooms during the period of sales decline. Less often, drying is chosen, followed by the manufacture of mushroom powder.

If all this does not bother you, and you are determined to start -

To start growing oyster mushrooms

First of all, you need to decide what you will build on - from the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe premises you have or from the number of mushrooms that you plan to receive per month. Depending on this, look for a suitable room.

It is also necessary to immediately decide whether you will work on purchased blocks or make them on your own.

In the case of working on purchased blocks, you will need two types of premises - an incubator and a chamber (hall) forcing (the so-called two-zone system) or at least three growing chambers (with a single-zone system) - if you bring freshly made blocks there, which will hang there the entire production cycle. The conditions for the overgrowing of blocks, and then fruiting in this case, are regulated by the microclimate.

From 1 sq. m. of area per month, you can get 10-12 kg of fruits (with a single-zone system), and 12-15 kg with a two-zone system. But don't forget:

- with a two-zone system, you need more

– the bags have been in the growing chamber for more than a month! If you work in two waves, then about 40-42 days with a two-zone system, 54-56 days with a single-zone system.

By the way, it is this time factor that is not taken into account when calculating profitability: because with a two-zone system, it is more correct to calculate the turnover of blocks not for a month, but for 40 days. Thus, if you work from September to April inclusive, then there will be not 8, but only 6 turnovers. And the profitability will be lower than you might expect.

The ratio of incubation and forcing room should be somewhere around 1: 2.5 -3.

With large growing areas, you will need several incubators (for ease of maintenance), the ratio can rise to 1:2.

Thus, if you have a room of about 100 sq. m., you can place no more than 12-14 tons of substrate there (this is about 1400 blocks of 10 kg each), plus you will need another room of about 40-50 sq.m. for incubation. You will be able to get about 1 ton of mushroom per month from this area.

If you count mathematically, then it should be more, but ... unfortunately, in practice - it turns out no more than a ton, in some months (in October, sometimes in April) it can be 1.5 tons, then all the blocks are plastered with clusters, as on this photo.

But it is impossible to calculate the full profitability based on these figures. Higher yields can be obtained using fully automated growing chambers. This is aerobatics. Sensors, controllers, servos, a computer program - all this will cost about 80,000 hryvnia (at least $ 3,000). It makes sense to install such automation if you plan to produce about 10 tons of mushroom per month.

If the blocks are made independently, a substrate workshop with heating is also required. It is highly desirable that they be located separately from the growing chambers.

If this is not possible, and the entire production will be located under one roof, it is necessary to think over the block movement scheme in such a way as to maintain a low bacterial background at the enterprise.

It is important to find a quality supplier (it is also called mycelium). It is better to pay more for branded mycelium, which is made from the original mother culture, than to buy cheaply transplanted: it is weakened, may have deviations from the culture of the strain. All this causes a delay in the development of blocks, their productivity will be low.

Criteria by which you need to choose oyster mushroom mycelium

Depending on the chosen strategy for the development of your farm, I help

• choose the optimal scheme for the use of premises and the location of equipment in them,
• calculating the ventilation system
• I paint a technological map of the microclimate for all stages of development and fruiting.