Lifestyles: Mahalaville Farms and the magic of mushrooms

{Contributed Photo)

Mushrooms are a part of forever lore and legend. From the Italian oyster or well-known shiitake to the pioppini, Mahalaville Farms has the process of growing and dehydrating mushrooms that can only be described in a single word— magical.  

Winners of the Davidson-Davie 2022 Vision Award, Angie and Jay Mahala have grown to understand this as new producers of pristine, high quality, fresh and dried specialty mushrooms for residential and business customers using a sustainable process that also produces organic compost.

According to the DDCC Small Business Center, that process meets the demand in a second residential market, one that estimates show is valued at approximately $363.2MM in the US.

Stranger Things

The two stumbled upon the business idea in 2022 after Jay received a mushroom starter kit, a Christmas gift he described as “strange, but pretty neat.” He said, “I never thought about growing mushrooms other than from a YouTube video about somebody growing mushrooms in sawdust." This kit required growing the mushrooms on wood. “I didn’t really want to be a lumberjack…but I said, 'I am gonna do this.'” So he started with a tree stump from his yard.

Jay enjoyed the process so much that he was driving home from work one day thinking about how he could make it a clean and year-round process. "I'll be honest, I was getting tired of the long commute." That is when he decided to turn his 30 by 30 tool shed into a mushrooming universe. The couple created a business plan and renovated the building into a processing room and fruiting room with humidity control. Angie took the plan to the DDCC Small Business Center, which later led to an award for their “vision.”

Jay left his long commute to work full time for Mahalaville (a tribute to a legendary family trip to Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville). The couple explained one of the major challenges is the timing of different varieties. Some need to grow for six months and spend eight to twelve weeks in the fruiting room. Others require only seven to ten days in the fruiting room. Jay admits to getting “a little overzealous” at the start. He ended up with 470 bags of various mushrooms one time! "I harvested 49 pounds of mushrooms. It’s a lot of mushrooms.” The blooming mushroom master confessed he’s learning more about the art of timing. The Mahalas also experimented with various sources. According to Angie, they met their sourcing stride with organically grown “wonderful compost spores” from 40-year-old Field & Forest Products.

Cleaner Things

Concrete floors and substrates help keep the facility tidy. “You hear about people growing mushrooms in a bag under the sink. We didn’t want that. We people to get our product; we want them to know it was grown, it's clean and high quality,” Jay said. The duo does not plan to do manure-based products. The couple sells fresh and try to dehydrate quickly. “Before they get yucky that way, we have less waste.” Dried mushrooms have a shelf life of a year or more, and after rehydrating, can be used just like fresh mushrooms while maintaining their nutrients.

Beneficial Things

Not only are they delicious, recent studies in Medical News Today reflect that consuming mushrooms as part of one’s diet can relieve hypertension, improve gastrointestinal health, fight off cancer and reverse diabetes. “They provide a range of antioxidants and other nutrients…The nutritional profile will depend on the type of mushroom.”

Future Things

The couple is seeking organic certification and is hopeful that the composting relationship will help reduce waste. They also want to grow as producers. According to Angie, there are only two other mushroom retailers in North Carolina. “There are only two large producers in North Carolina. We’re hoping to fill that gap and be a real source of mushrooms for this state. There are tons of mushrooms up north coming from Canada. There is really a need for fresh wholesome food here.”

Jay is thankful for the community support during their learning curve. He called the Davidson- Davie Small Business Center Business award “A real confidence booster. “We thought we had a good idea. We sat around and came up with our business plan. To have someone else say you’ve done a good job on your business plan is unbelievable.”

{Photos:Stock}