Industrial production of champignons. Growing champignons - organizational business plan

Opening a mushroom farm is beneficial due to the ability to grow products all year round. Below is an example of a mushroom growing business plan. They have an impressive yield, are unpretentious to conditions and are valued in the market for their taste and low price.

Brief Summary

The project assumes the presence of initial investments for rent, arrangement of premises for doing business and the purchase of mycelium. Possible risks in production are compensated in the calculations by reducing the output by 30%. If the business plan for growing champignons is implemented with calculated indicators, a normal harvest will give a profit higher than indicated.

Brief characteristics of the project:

• the amount of initial investment - 470,000 rubles;
• payback period - 12 months;
• monthly profit forecast - 42,000 rubles.

According to statistics, in Russia each resident consumes up to 3 kg of mushrooms per month. For this reason, growing champignons as a business is profitable. More than 70% of the market is occupied by products of foreign manufacturers. This indicates a low level of competition in the domestic market. Calculations will be carried out on the basis of an analysis of the situation in St. Petersburg.

Project Description

According to the proposed business plan, champignons will be grown in the Leningrad region. For this purpose, you can convert your own cottage or rent a small piece of land to build a farm.

Enterprise characteristics

Accountants can open an individual entrepreneur, take charge of accounting and tax accounting.

The preferred location of the farm is closer to the Ring Road. This makes it easier to organize the transportation of goods to the place of processing.

Niche in the market

The profitability of growing champignons at home according to a business plan is that profitability does not depend on location. Customers of products can be firms from any region. The cost of production is always kept at the same level, and the delivery of mushrooms can be organized by consumers.

In St. Petersburg, there are only 11 organizations offering fresh mushrooms. They sell at retail and can become the first customers of products. With a population of 5,351,935 (at the beginning of 2018), the statistical consumption is 16 tons per month. We will lower the bar by 30% to allow for the possibility of a poor harvest and other risks. As a result, the consumer capacity is 5 tons per month.

The average yield of champignons is 35 kg per 1 sq. meters monthly. A farm with an area of ​​142 sq. m. This goes beyond the organization of a small business under the proposed business plan. Buildings in suburban areas are often limited in area (no more than 16-20 sq. M). Therefore, at the start, you will have to limit yourself to what is available.

Marketing strategy

The basis for promoting a new enterprise will be a website and work with potential customers through cold calls or emails. Regardless of the scale of the company's activities and the technology of growing champignons, the business plan is designed for corporate consumers. On the one hand, this is an advantage, since wholesale sales are provided. On the other hand, you need to develop a base of regular customers in order to start thinking about expanding your business.

• ads on the Internet;
• sending emails;
• cold calls.

Retail at first is not expected. For successful trading, it is desirable to have a large assortment of mushrooms - oyster mushrooms, white mushrooms. As long as the emphasis is on champignons, wholesale customers will remain the main customers.

Production plan

In the subsidiary farm there are buildings of various sizes. Therefore, we take as a basis the option with dimensions of 4 by 4 meters with a height of 2.5 meters. It is proposed to grow mushrooms on the shelves. Then 4 boxes will be placed on each square meter. Up to 4 sq. m should be left on the service aisles between the racks. As a result, 12 squares or 48 boxes remain working. Each of them will produce up to 35 kg of crop per month (total up to 1,680 kg).

Farm equipment

Compost at first can be purchased ready for use. As the payback will be an opportunity to build an additional room for its manufacture.

The uninterrupted operation of the farm is ensured by the presence of a constant microclimate, therefore, before starting the enterprise, it is recommended to carefully measure the temperature and humidity in all parts of the room (closer to the floor, ceiling, with different ventilation modes). Without this, the yield may be lower than planned.

organizational plan

The staff of the champignon mushroom farm in the proposed business plan is minimal. The entrepreneur himself can deal with the implementation and search for customers. Therefore, it is enough to hire assistants to care for mushrooms. Their work schedule will be from 10.00 to 20.00, with an exit of 2/2 (shifts of 10 hours). They will be planting, tending, harvesting, replacing mycelium and compost. They will also be entrusted with the task of loading products onto the transport of customers.

The salary of each employee will be 30,000 rubles. In the event of a vacation or sick leave, an entrepreneur can temporarily replace an absent employee. Accounting immediately given. Thanks to this approach, the owner is engaged in the main business - the sale of grown products. The cost of a third-party specialist averages 10,000 rubles.

Financial plan

The list of one-time costs of a business plan for growing champignons in a greenhouse complex should include not only equipment, but also the first purchase of mycelium and compost. They are also included in the list of monthly expenses.

List of one-time costs

List of monthly expenses

Calculation of the payback of the enterprise:

1. One-time expenses based on 1 month - 39,170 rubles;

2. Fixed costs - 129,200 rubles;

3. The cost of one kilogram of products, subject to a yield of 1,500 kg per month - 113 rubles.

With an average wholesale cost of one kilogram of finished products of 150 rubles, the proceeds from the sale of the entire volume produced will be 225,000 rubles. Of these, 13,500 will go to taxes, and the net profit will be 42,000 rubles.

With a decrease in yield or damage to products as a result of untimely sales, income may decrease. In this case, it is possible to reduce the amount of purchased mycelium and compost until sales volumes are restored. Utility costs will decrease commensurately.

Risk management

When creating a business plan for the production of champignons, low competition in this area was taken into account. But the risks still exist. They are common to the entire agricultural sector - low yields, force majeure due to diseases of cultivated crops. It is possible to avoid such factors due to the correct organization of the process.

maintain cleanliness inside the farm;

buy mycelium, compost from trusted suppliers;

replace them in parts, according to a shifted schedule.

This approach will allow, in the case of defective consumables, to grow a small volume of products and achieve at least self-sufficiency. In the future, it is recommended to distribute the growing area into two or more rooms. Then microclimate disturbances in one will not affect the rest of the production.

Three months of accounting, personnel records and legal support for FREE. Hurry, the offer is limited.

The history of growing champignons goes back over four hundred years. The work of breeders during this period has led to the emergence of new productive varieties and intensive technologies that can increase yields several times over. Nevertheless, for a long time, the industrial cultivation of mushrooms remained available only to large farms that were able to purchase expensive climate equipment or rent a mine working to equip a farm.

Today, growing champignons as a business no longer requires multimillion-dollar investments from an entrepreneur: popular methods allow the use of an ordinary basement or greenhouse as a production site. In addition, on the market you can find offers that greatly simplify or completely exclude some technological processes: for example, for a moderate fee, suppliers are ready to bring to a novice farmer not only the substrate and cover mixture, but also whole compost blocks previously infected with mycelium.

Business features

For beginners, growing champignons at home is a difficult and responsible process: unlike oyster mushrooms, these mushrooms are sensitive to changes in the microclimate, carbon dioxide concentration, composition of the nutrient mixture and water temperature during irrigation. The yield depends on many parameters, most of which can only be determined empirically, so the entrepreneur will have to be observant, persevering, willing to experiment and overcome the consequences of his own mistakes.

Of course, the technology of growing champignons has long been known to farmers: numerous enterprises successfully cultivating mushrooms both on a small and industrial scale are proof of this. Based on the experience they have accumulated, some characteristic features of this business can be identified, both facilitating and complicating production processes.

The undoubted advantages include the following factors:

• Growing champignons at home is not affected by seasonality;
• With a production cycle lasting 8–10 weeks, up to five crops can be obtained per year;
• Harvest dates are determined with an accuracy of two to three days;
• Any available room is used as a farm, in which it is possible to provide the growing conditions necessary for champignons;
• The raw materials for compost are available and inexpensive animal waste, ordinary straw, chalk, lime and common mineral fertilizers;
• The spent compost can be sold to summer residents as fertilizer;
• As a business, growing champignons at home does not require significant capital investments and the purchase of sophisticated equipment;
• The saturation of the Russian market with goods does not exceed 30-35%.

Mushroom cultivation also comes with known risks: for example, excessive moisture or insufficient ventilation inevitably leads to crop loss. Therefore, it is better for beginner farmers to start with a small plantation and expand production as they gain experience. In addition, when implementing a business idea for growing champignons, the following should be taken into account:

• The shelf life of products packed in polyethylene in a refrigerator does not exceed 6–7 days, after which the fruits dry out and become weathered;
• Closer to autumn, the market is filled with competing products - various wild mushrooms;
• Given the short shelf life of products, the risk of losing an unsold batch is extremely high, so the business requires a well-developed marketing system;
• With a modest scale of production, it is not worth wasting time on the SPD registration procedure: mushrooms are willingly bought by neighbors, acquaintances and other individuals, and the rest of the goods can always be sold on the market as products of household plots. However, when switching to the industrial cultivation of champignons, it is necessary to register the enterprise as a peasant farm or individual entrepreneur on the UAT taxation system and draw up employment contracts with all employees.

In addition, attention will have to be paid to the preparation of certain permits:

• Instructions for transportation and recommendations for storing mushrooms (ready-made samples can be found on the Internet for free);
• Protocol of radiological examination of the mushroom shop (issued once, at the beginning of the farm) - from 4500 rubles;
• Phytosanitary certificate (if necessary, only for transporting products across the border) - from 10,000 rubles;
• Certificate of conformity (obtained for each batch) - 3500 rubles.

Types of champignons

Considering where to start growing champignons, you first need to study the main characteristics of these mushrooms and choose the type suitable for cultivation at home. On private farms, two-ringed, field and meadow champignons are sometimes found, however, the absolute leader among them is the two-spored, numerous industrial strains of which were bred in American and European laboratories.

In accordance with the color of the cap, the biporous champignon varieties are divided into three groups, called races - white, cream or brown. The demand for white is explained by high yield and marketable appearance, however, the strains of this race are very sensitive to microclimatic conditions and the quality of compost. Therefore, as a business, the cultivation of white champignon mushrooms will be successful only in specially equipped workshops. Brown and cream strains are slightly less productive, but have increased resistance to temperature and humidity changes along with good resistance to infection, making them suitable for outdoor and greenhouse cultivation.

artificial strains

Strain	Cap diameter, mm	Weight, g	Yield, kg/m²
White race
Hauser A15 (large)	40–55	35–45	24–26
B-86 (large)	35–45	28–30	15–20
F-1970 (large)	35–45	25–35	15–22
D-13 (large)	40–45	30–35	12–15
D-12 (large)	40–45	25–35	8–12
Somycel 608 (large)	35–45	30–35	18–20
Somycel 512 (medium)	30–40	25–35	20–28
Sylvan 130 (medium)	35–40	25–35	18–21
X-20 (medium)	40–50	25–35	17–25
brown race
N-273 (large)	40–55	35–50	15–18
GDR-2 (medium)	35–40	15–20	14–18
A-311 (medium)	30–40	25–35	10–14
Cream race
PC-17 (medium)	40–45	25–30	10–12
F-1 (medium)	30–35	20–25	10–15
KD-2 (small)	20–30	15–20	12–16

Growing technologies

Experiments on growing champignons under various conditions have led to the emergence of five main cultivation methods, the differences between which are in the necessary investments and the list of equipment used:

in containers

This technology for growing champignons on an industrial scale is widespread in the USA: mushrooms are planted in plastic or wooden boxes equipped with holes to regulate the temperature and humidity of the compost. Containers are installed on racks, which simplifies plantation processing and saves workshop space. The advantage of this method is the isolation that prevents the spread of diseases on the shelves, and the disadvantage is the high cost of the boxes themselves.

In packages

This method partly resembles the technology of oyster mushroom cultivation with a slight difference: sacks of compost for growing champignons are not tied or hung, but placed on racks in an open form. The batch method is characterized by well-known advantages: firstly, bags with used compost are quickly and easily replaced, and secondly, the infection does not spread outside the bag. There is only one drawback to this method - the need to manually fill with compost and sow each bag with mycelium.

On shelves

The so-called Dutch mushroom growing technology also involves the use of multi-tiered racks, however, in this case, the compost is poured directly onto the shelves provided with boards. The advantages of this method include the possibility of mechanization and space savings, and the disadvantages are the danger of the spread of diseases throughout the shelf.

On blocks

The easiest way to grow champignons, accessible even to a novice farmer, is the cultivation of mushrooms on special briquettes, pressed from compost in an industrial environment and pre-infected with mycelium. Each block weighing 12–20 kg is hermetically sealed in a polyethylene film, which allows them to be stored for 10–14 days and transported at minimal cost. Blocks are conveniently placed on racks, and as fruiting is completed, they are easily disposed of.

On the beds

Using this technology, you can start growing champignons in the country in the open field. First you need to find a well-shaded area with moist soil: small trenches are dug here, which are filled with compost. Then the resulting beds are sown with mycelium and covered with a film to protect against drying out. Unfortunately, under such conditions it is impossible to regulate microclimatic conditions and prevent the spread of infection, so the yield is likely to be low.

Room preparation

Given the sensitivity of mushrooms to microclimate changes mentioned above, it is unlikely that you will be able to create a mushroom farm in a city apartment or on a balcony. Therefore, at the initial stages of business development, it is more advisable to use other methods - for example, growing champignons in a greenhouse or in the basement of a private house, where it is easiest to maintain the temperature and humidity at the proper level. You can also equip the farm in a barn or in any other insulated building: the main criterion for its suitability in this case will be the possibility of installing heating and ventilation devices here.

When organizing the production process, the room for growing champignons should be divided into four isolated zones:

1. Compost fermentation room;
2. Chamber for pasteurization of compost;
3. Mycelium incubation chamber;
4. Fruiting chamber.

When working on purchased compost, fermentation and pasteurization chambers can be abandoned. In addition, it is better to organize the work of a home farm according to a single-zone technology, in which temperature and humidity are independently regulated in each room, allowing them to be used sequentially for sprouting mycelium and fruiting.

The process of preparing the premises includes measures for its complete disinfection and disinfection. For this you need:

• Fumigate the chambers with smoke sulfur bombs, followed by ventilation;
• Treat the walls and ceiling with lime mortar mixed with copper sulphate;
• In the presence of mushroom flies, treat the room with chlorophos;
• Fill the floor with concrete to prevent the increase in air humidity and the penetration of moles, rats, mice and insects into the room.

The conditions for growing champignon mushrooms imply the control and regulation of the following microclimatic parameters:

• Illumination. Mushrooms do not need artificial or natural light, preferring darkness. Therefore, the number of lamps in the room is determined by the comfort of working with beds: in most cases, 2-3 W per square meter is enough;
• Air exchange. The germination of the mycelium and fruiting are accompanied by the release of carbon dioxide, which slows down the development of fungi, and the fermentation of compost is accompanied by the evaporation of ammonia. Therefore, growing champignons in the basement requires supply and exhaust ventilation, which allows not only to regulate the ratio of fresh and recirculated air, but also to heat or cool it if necessary, as well as filter it from insects, dust and spores. The power of the fans is selected based on 5-6 full volumes of the chamber per hour;
• Temperature. In the zones of incubation and fruiting, different temperature regimes are maintained: in the general case, the heating system should imply the possibility of changing this parameter within 13–26 ° С. To reduce heat loss and equalize the temperature throughout the volume of the chamber, the room must be sealed and thoroughly insulated. As for humidity, here the control range is within 65–95%.

Equipment

When compiling a list of equipment used for growing champignons, it should be taken into account that production processes are not limited to mycelium incubation and fruiting. Therefore, this list will have to include not only heating and ventilation devices, but also cold stores for temporary storage of crops, hand tools, and even transport for the delivery of products and raw materials.

To equip a farm located in a basement with an area of ​​80 m² and consisting of two chambers of 35 m² each, the following expenses must be foreseen in the business plan for growing champignons:

Equipment list

Name	price, rub.	Quantity, pcs.	Amount, rub.
Climatic equipment
Fan, 700 m³/h	3700	4	14800
Fine filter	1200	2	2400
Humidifier, 35 m²	2500	2	5000
Hot water oven	16000	1	16000
water heat exchanger radiator	4500	2	9000
Thermohygrometer	900	1	900
air cooler	22000	2	44000
Ventilation and heating pipelines	–	–	8000
electrical equipment
Lamp	400	8	3200
Wires and switches	–	–	5000
quartz lamp	3500	1	3500
Fly lamp	1000	2	2000
Irrigation equipment
Barrels for watering 200 l	350	2	700
Hoses and nozzles	–	–	3000
Water pump	2000	1	2000
Auxiliary equipment
refrigerators compartment	13000	1	13000
Rack galvanized 2x1x0.8 m	5000	50	250000
Small scales	800	1	800
Wheelbarrow garden	1200	2	2400
Hand tool	–	–	2000
indicator paper	200	1	200
A car with a thermobox	190000	1	190000
Total:			577900

An entrepreneur who wants to prepare the substrate for growing champignons on his own will have to additionally purchase two fans to ventilate the pasteurization and fermentation chambers, a steam generator, and a straw cutter for grinding compost components.

Composting

Initially, in the simplest ways of growing mushrooms, pure horse manure served as compost. Over time, the number of horses decreased significantly, as a result of which farmers had to look for substitutes for this ingredient. Today, cattle manure or chicken manure is often used as such, adding chalk and gypsum to them to stabilize the acidity.

Compost Recipes

Component	Composition 1	Composition 2	Composition 3
Horse manure, kg	2000	–	–
Cattle manure, kg	–	2000	–
Chicken manure, kg	–	–	1280
Wheat straw, kg	50	2000	2000
Urea, kg	5	50	10
Ammonium sulfate, kg	5	–	–
Superphosphate, kg	5	40	–
Chalk, kg	7,5	100	30
Gypsum, kg	30	170	120

In summer, an open area equipped with a canopy is used to prepare compost. In autumn and winter, this operation should be carried out in a fermentation chamber equipped with heating to maintain the temperature at 11–13°C and ventilation to remove ammonia vapors.

For compost fermentation, well-moistened straw is mixed with manure and a pile 1.7–2 m high is formed. During the week, the temperature inside it rises and reaches 65–70°C. In order for all layers of the compost to be involved in this biochemical process, every 4-5 days you need to do an overflow - mix the outer and inner layers, and then lay out the collar again. After 4-5 breaks, fermentation ends. Next, the finished substrate must be pasteurized.

If the appropriate equipment is available, the compost in boxes is placed in a sealed pasteurization chamber, where the air temperature is raised to 60–65 ° C using a steam generator, steaming the mixture for 3–4 hours. On small farms, the mixture is pasteurized differently: after the last rebuffing, the pile is covered with a film and not touched until the smell of ammonia disappears. For 4–5 days, the compost independently warms up to the same 65 ° C, as a result of which all pathogenic spores and microorganisms die.

The finished substrate is laid out on shelves, in bags or in boxes, forming an even layer 20-30 cm thick. With a compost density of 500-600 kg / m³, one ton of the mixture is enough to fill 10 m² of shelf space.

Inoculation

Suppliers involved in the cultivation of mushroom mycelium must be found in advance. If there is any doubt about the quality of the product, it is advisable to make several test sowings to ensure the viability of the seed: haste at this stage can lead to spoilage of the entire batch of substrate and inevitable associated losses.

Inoculation is carried out after the compost has cooled to a temperature of 23–25°C. For a standard bed with a height of 20 cm, the consumption rate of the grain mycelium does not exceed 0.5 kg / m². Sowing is most often performed by the nesting method: lumps of mycelium a little smaller than a walnut are placed in holes 7–8 cm deep, dug in compost in staggered increments of 18–20 cm. Then, to maintain soil moisture at the proper level, the beds are covered with foil or damp newspapers .

If all components are chosen correctly, and the temperature is maintained at 23–25°C, the substrate is completely overgrown with mycelium in two weeks. At this stage, ventilation is turned on only to cool the air in the incubation chamber or to reduce humidity, since a high concentration of carbon dioxide contributes to the accelerated development of the mycelium.

Growing process

At the stage of mycelium germination through the cover soil, the temperature in the room is maintained at 23–24°C and humidity 90–93%. After 10–12 days, the threads of the mycelium appear on the surface: at this moment, to stimulate the setting of primordia, the air is gradually cooled to 13–15°C and ventilation is turned on.

When primordia reach the size of a pinhead, the humidity is reduced to 90–92%, and when they grow to the size of a pea, they are set at 85–87%. The beds are regularly watered with small portions of warm water at the rate of 0.8–1 l per square meter per day. For these purposes, a drip irrigation system is best suited to avoid erosion and silting of the soil, but you can also use a regular watering can.

Harvesting

On average, mushrooms reach maturity in 5–7 days. Climatic conditions in the fruiting chamber are maintained at the same level, providing high-quality ventilation: the concentration of carbon dioxide here should not exceed 500–800 ppm. With a lack of fresh air, mushrooms grow on long legs with small caps, and with an excess of it, the skin of the fruit becomes weathered, forming scales.

Fruit bodies of champignons are formed in waves: within 2–3 days, the entire surface of the beds is covered with growing young mushrooms, after which the activity of the mycelium decreases. The next wave appears in about a week; their total number can reach six or seven. However, on mushroom farms I use only the first four, since the share of the harvest from subsequent waves does not exceed 5-7%.

Champignon yield

A week	Yield, kg/m²	Total yield, kg/m²
1	5,0–5,1	5,0–5,2
2	6,1–6,2	11,1–11,3
3	3,4–3,5	14,5–14,9
4	2,4–2,5	16,9–17,4
5	1,4–1,6	18,3–19,0
6	1,0–1,3	19,3–20,3

Mushrooms are harvested exclusively by hand, carefully twisting each mushroom and sprinkling a hole with a covering mixture. After harvesting each wave, the surface of the bed is cleaned of the remains of fruiting bodies and fused lumps of mycelium, and at the end of fruiting, the substrate is disposed of and the chamber is disinfected.

Implementation

As a business, growing champignons at home is profitable only if the products are fully sold with minimal losses. Small quantities of mushrooms can be sold to acquaintances or private buyers in the agricultural market, while marketing a crop of several tons requires significant efforts to establish contacts with wholesale companies - such as:

• Retail stores and retail chains. Given the constant shortage of quality products, both small shops and large supermarkets are interested in placing champignons on the shelves. However, the entrepreneur has to not only spend time and resources organizing logistics, but also incur losses associated with the return of unsold products. In addition, retail chains often set a high fee for entering a position in the assortment;
• Catering establishments. Restaurants, cafes and canteens at various institutions purchase mushrooms for cooking. This method is also quite laborious, since you need to deliver products to customers on your own, and batch sizes do not exceed several tens of kilograms. Fortunately, when working with catering establishments, you can not be afraid of returns or fees for adding a new item to the menu;
• Wholesale buyers. Many wholesale companies purchase agricultural products for resale. For an entrepreneur, this method is the most convenient, since such clients are not too demanding in terms of batch volumes and the availability of a full package of permits. The only drawback here is forced discounts: wholesalers are usually not interested in buying champignons at a retail price.

Investments

Related videos

The organization of the work of a mushroom farm is associated with the cost of acquiring equipment, repairing a basement, registering an enterprise and developing an information site for buyers.

Capital investment

Name	price, rub.	Qty	Amount, rub.
Filling the floor with concrete	3530	8 m³	28240
Installation of partitions	800	20 m	16000
Registration of SPD	–	–	2000
Protocol of radiological examination	4500	1 PC.	4500
Website development	10000	1 PC.	10000
Equipment	–	–	577900
Installation of equipment	–	–	10000
Total:			648640

Also, in the first cycle of growing champignons, it is necessary to purchase and bring compost, mycelium, firewood or coal for the stove, chemicals for disinfecting the room. These costs will be repeated in subsequent cycles.

Costs in a cycle

Name	price, rub.	Qty	Amount, rub.
Compost	8000	16 t	128000
Grain mycelium, strain A15	180	80 kg	14400
cover soil	1500	6.4 m³	9600
Delivery of compost and soil	–	–	7500
Lime	65	4 kg	260
fuel and lubricants	27	100 l	2700
Firewood for the oven	800	1.5 m³	1200
sulfur checkers	120	10 pieces.	1200
Communal payments	4	2880 kW	11520
Certificate of conformity	3500	1 PC.	3500
Insurance payments KFH or IP	2300	2 months	4600
Total:			184480

Income and profitability

When calculating the profitability of a mushroom growing business from scratch, the minimum yield value for four fruiting waves will be used - 17 kg / m². Thus, 2720 kg of mushrooms can be harvested from beds with a total area of ​​160 m², the wholesale price for which will be 120-160 rubles / kg. The total income of the entrepreneur in this case will reach 380,800 rubles.

When calculating the payback period, it is necessary to take into account that the total cost of starting the enterprise will include not only the initial investment, but also the costs in the first cycle of growing champignons. Accordingly, at the start, at least 833,120 rubles will have to be invested in a mushroom farm.

Economic indicators

The payback period of the enterprise will not exceed four and a half cycles, which, with an average duration of 2.5 months each, will be 11.3 months.

Conclusion

The mushroom growing business can hardly be called simple: the yield of a mushroom farm depends on careful adherence to recommendations at every stage. Therefore, a novice entrepreneur should start small - for example, buy a few ready-made blocks, try to make compost on their own, choose the right values ​​\u200b\u200bof climatic parameters and ventilation intensity. As knowledge is accumulated, it is possible to move on to larger projects: the presence of practical experience in this case greatly increases the chances of success of the enterprise.
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Growing champignons as a business and a way to increase your income has recently attracted many people. However, despite the apparent simplicity in this matter, there are a lot of subtleties and pitfalls that must be taken into account. It is best to start a mushroom growing business small so that you can learn all the features without any major losses. Be sure to understand the conditions that are necessary for the mycelium to be in excellent condition and give a good harvest. It is necessary to pay special attention to the acquisition of high-quality mycelium, which will allow you to receive maximum income, as well as take into account many other aspects of this business.

Room and equipment for growing champignons

In order to properly establish production and at the same time begin to receive a stable income, when it comes to mushrooms, you should not rush. If there are no serious funds that could be invested in this business, it is advisable to start breeding champignons in a small room, for example, in a garage, in a basement or on a balcony. On your own, you can easily take care of the mycelium on an area of ​​\u200b\u200bno more than 10 square meters. Larger plantings will require hired workers. In the future, when the receipt of production will improve and begin to generate income, you can begin to expand. To grow 2-3 tons of products, a room of about 100 m² is required. The profitability of such a business is quite high.

You need to pay attention to inventory. In the event that initially the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe garage or basement is not too large, it is best to purchase or make racks yourself. This will maximize the use of the available space. In addition to the premises, when planning a mushroom growing business, you need to take care of:

• additional lighting;
• irrigation system;
• components for compost;
• containers or bags for planting mycelium;
• purchase of high-quality planting material;
• means of disinfection;
• film and paper, etc.

If a small mushroom farm is organized, at the first stages it will not be necessary to spend a lot of money to purchase everything you need. When arranging the room, it must be taken into account that it is necessary to install equipment for additional ventilation in it. Despite the fact that photosynthesis does not occur in mushrooms, they still need lighting for normal growth and development. Temperature and humidity require special attention. When planting mycelium or sowing spores, it should be + 25 ... + 26 ° C. In the future, it must be reduced to + 13 ° C. A thermometer should be installed in the room and a means for additional heating when necessary.

High humidity is very important for mushrooms. It must be at least 85%. In case of non-compliance with these requirements, a normal harvest will not be achieved. The composting process requires special attention. In this regard, champignons are very whimsical. In order to achieve a quality crop, you need to purchase a ready-made substrate, but if you wish, you can make it yourself. This issue deserves special attention, since the favorable outcome of the entire enterprise depends on it by 80%.

Substrate preparation for champignons

In order for grown mushrooms to give maximum profit, they need to provide an ideal nutrient medium. Approximately 80% of the total mass of the substrate should be compost. The basis for its manufacture is horse manure, mullein or bird droppings, dry straw from winter wheat. It is very important to keep the proportions when preparing compost. For 80% of manure, you need to take about 20% of straw. Compost must be prepared outdoors, as this releases a lot of ammonia, nitrogen and other caustic substances. When working indoors, these compounds can cause watery eyes, coughs, and even poisoning.

To prepare compost, you need to start with the preparation of straw. You need to soak it for about 2 days. Next, you need to put it in the trays with a cross. Each layer needs to be spilled so that it absorbs as much water as possible. After moistening, urea and superphosphate must be added immediately. These substances must be divided into doses in advance in order to evenly fertilize each layer. It should be based on the calculation of 2 kg of urea and 2.3 kg of superphosphate per 100 kg of straw. After the tray is completely laid out, everything must be thoroughly mixed by gradually adding gypsum to the composition, which will later act as a baking powder, and then water and chalk.

These components must be added in limited quantities. For 100 kg of straw, 8 kg of gypsum and about 4 kg of chalk will be enough. Lastly, horse manure is added. The resulting mass must still be allowed to rot. At this time, its temperature can rise to + 80 ° C. It is best to put the compost in a large container or pit. It should rot for at least 20-25 days. Only after that it is possible to grow champignons on it. Compost makes up approximately 80% of the total mass of the substrate. The remaining 20% ​​should be chernozem, peat, sawdust, etc.

The best varieties of champignons for organizing a business

Planting material deserves special attention when planning mushroom cultivation. It should not be purchased on the market. It is necessary to buy planting material in special laboratories where all the necessary documentation is available. Currently, you can easily purchase compost and grain mycelium. These options differ significantly in shelf life. Grain mycelium is a powder that can be stored in the refrigerator at +1°C for up to 6 months. 400 g of spores is sufficient for inoculation of 100 kg of substrate. The compost option is sold in banks. It can be stored at around +20°C for 15-20 days. At +1°C, it can be kept in the refrigerator for about a year. The consumption of compost mycelium is about 450 g per 1 m².

Be sure to pay attention to the choice of mushroom varieties. Good hybrids can produce up to 25 kg of product from 1 m². It is worth considering in more detail the varieties with the best performance. Champignon Somicel 608 allows you to get up to 22 kg of product from 1 m². The main advantage of this variety is its long growth, which allows you to stretch the immediate harvest for several weeks, which helps to prevent its loss due to lack of demand. This is especially important at the initial stage of development of such a business, when sales are still small.

Another hybrid to look out for is Silvan 130. It is characterized by precocity, so it will be possible to establish the production of champignons faster. With the creation of favorable conditions, it grows rapidly. The first harvest can be obtained in about 6 weeks. Fruiting bodies have a beautiful hat. The mass of one mushroom reaches approximately 45 g. The yield of champignons of this variety is about 20 kg per 1 m².

For experienced mushroom pickers, a hybrid is suitable Hazer A15. This variety allows you to get up to 29 kg from 1 m². This mushroom is best suited for those who have already established sales. This hybrid is unpretentious in terms of compost composition, but can die very quickly from infections, direct sunlight and drying out of the soil. The profitability of such a business will be quite high if all the basic requirements are met, since the yield of the variety is significant.

Mushroom cultivation technology for sale

The process of harvesting from planting mycelium to harvesting fruiting bodies has a number of subtleties. First of all, you should first prepare the room in which the mushroom will be grown, treating it with special means to eliminate bacteria and fungi. Mycelium should not be planted in previously prepared compost. It must be disinfected in advance. Heat treatment is best suited for this purpose.

The substrate must be heated up to +80 °С by any available means. At this temperature, it must be kept for at least 20 minutes. After that, it must be cooled to a temperature of about +25 ° C and transferred to disinfected bags or trays. The layer should be no more than 35 cm. In this case, the risk of damage to the mycelium by pathogenic microflora can be reduced. Next, the grain powder is sprayed. In the future, it must be crushed with a substrate, covering it by 5-6 cm.

After that, it is necessary to maintain optimal conditions in the room. Be sure to protect the mushroom from drafts. The temperature should be around +25°C. Humidity must be maintained at least 85%. After about 14 days, you can fill in the cover soil, which should consist of black soil, chalk and peat in equal proportions. Further, the temperature in the room is gradually lowered to +15°C by ventilation of the room. In this case, there should be no drafts. Harvest appears in about 10 weeks.

Harvesting and product sales

The fruiting period can vary from 2 to 6 months, depending on the variety. With proper care and abundant watering, it is often possible to extend the period of production. Harvesting has certain subtleties. It is best not to cut the legs, but to carefully unscrew them. The remaining holes must be covered with earth and poured with plenty of water. In this place, in the future, the fruiting body is again formed. It is possible to get 7-8 waves of fruiting. Only the first 3 of them allow you to get 100% of the crop. Further fruiting is on the decline. You can store the crop in a cool, humid room for 10-14 days at a temperature of +1 ... +10 ° C. Since the keeping quality of grown champignons is not too high, they need to be sold as soon as possible.

The organization of the finished product needs to think in advance. It is most profitable to sell mushrooms to the end consumer, but it will be extremely difficult to sell large volumes with a single point. It is necessary to take care in advance about finding partners in the form of various restaurants and cafes, as well as small and large retail chains, this will allow you to quickly establish a sales market and will be a good impetus for business development.

Do you want to start a profitable business that does not require large investments? Growing champignons as a business promises a good and stable income.

You can make money on the sale of the most popular type of mushrooms all year round. The demand for champignons in Russia is constant.

With a fairly simple growing technology, after two months you can get the first profit.

Growing champignons is a promising and profitable direction. Benefits of this business:

• the ability to quickly recoup the first investment;
• stable income at any time of the year;
• simple business system;
• the possibility of deducting a single tax of 6%, instead of a number of other taxes;
• organization of a mini-farm in your own basement, garage, poultry house or other outbuilding;
• available ways to acquire mycelium;
• establishment of reliable trade routes.

Where to begin?

First, you should start purchasing soil with mycelium, or purchase mycelium and soil separately. These are fundamental factors, the level of which will affect the degree of profitability of the whole business, so you should not save on them. It is better to buy blanks from trusted companies or mushroom farms.

In order to organize a farm that can freely accommodate 30 tons of land, you will need several rooms with a total area of ​​​​about 180 - 190 square meters. m.

Secondly, you need to find the right place. There are no strict requirements here: you can rent an empty vegetable base or another building with large dimensions. Sometimes even abandoned mines are used for these purposes, but this option is acceptable for large firms. For a small business, at first, your own cellar will do. Being engaged in its arrangement, it is necessary to provide for constant lighting, thermoregulation, a ventilation and irrigation network.

What can be used as soil?

Experienced farmers are engaged in the preparation of multi-component compost on their own, while having equipment for crushing, mixing and thermal processing of components. As a rule, it includes chopped straw, chicken manure, soil, as well as some mineral additives. Novice businessmen are advised to purchase a finished product, since due to a violation of manufacturing technology, the growth of mushrooms will be sluggish and slow, from which production will be unprofitable.

Popular growing technologies

If you do not know how to grow champignons at home, choose a more convenient and suitable technique from those suggested below.

1. On the ridges. An ancient and relatively inexpensive way. You only need a film and the actual compost, which is poured onto it in an even layer. The whole process needs manual labor. Therefore, savings on equipment are offset by the cost of staff salaries. The disadvantage is the high risk of infection of fungi with bacteria and infections due to the impossibility of high-quality cleaning between rows.
2. In briquettes. A more modern technique, during which the mixture is placed in briquettes, compressing it a little at the same time. The blocks prepared in this way are easily moved and transported. The process of care is slightly simplified.
3. In containers. A favorite technique of Canadian and American farmers is to place mycelial soil in prepared containers. They can be both plastic and natural, for example, wooden boards treated with an anti-mold compound. In this case, the probability of infection of champignons decreases, the yield of the finished product increases, and the whole process is simplified. The disadvantage is a large amount of investment in the purchase of containers.
4. On shelves . The Dutch prefer to place compost on multi-storey shelves. At the same time, workers have good access to growing mushrooms, and the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe premises is also significantly saved.
5. In bags. If you are familiar with the technology of breeding oyster mushrooms in bags, then this technique will seem familiar to you. The substrate is placed in bags, holes are made for mycelium and hung or placed around the perimeter of the cellar. It is worth noting that the purchase of bags will cost less than containers. Again, the space is used rationally, the risk of infection is minimal.
6. On automated lines. When planning a large-scale enterprise, one can pay attention to a modern, completely automated method that eliminates the need for manual labor. Expensive equipment independently controls lighting, humidity and temperature, the growth process of champignons.

What initial investment is needed?

Growing champignons as a business will require some initial investment. The volume of investments directly depends on the chosen technology.

You can make approximate calculations based on the materials used in each of them. For growing champignons at home, it is better to refuse to purchase equipment and rent a room, this will significantly reduce the cost.

From the moment the soil is filled with mycelium to the end of the harvest, an average of 8-10 weeks pass. This period is called one cycle. Approximate costs for this period for a farm with manual labor and briquette breeding technology will be about 120 thousand rubles:

• 30 tons of compost - 30 thousand rubles;
• payments to personnel - 15 thousand rubles. based on 4 employees;
• payment of rent and utilities is a rather individual indicator that varies depending on the geography of the location.

Estimated Profit Calculation

If we imagine ideal conditions that make it possible to obtain 20% of the harvest from the mass of the purchased material, and also to sell it in full at 100 rubles / kg, then the result will be approximately 600 thousand rubles. for 1 cycle.

That is, 30 tons of raw materials will produce 6 tons of champignons worth 100 rubles per 1 kg and will give the specified income without tax deductions, salaries to employees and payments to utilities.

What are the distribution channels?

The success of the enterprise depends on 50% of the well-established methods of selling the goods produced. These are the most common distribution routes.

1. Independent trade turnover in the agricultural market. In this way, it is possible to provide an acceptable high cost per kg, but at the same time there will be costs for renting a place, a salary for the seller or own time costs.
2. Sales to wholesalers. You will get the opportunity to sell large quantities, but the price will be below the market.
3. Sale to supermarkets and restaurants. There is also a possibility of selling a large volume here, but it may be necessary to have a staff unit responsible for interacting with the store administration.

What is needed to complete the activity?

If you decide to engage in the cultivation of champignons for sale on an ongoing basis, it is worth considering that the activity must be formalized properly. The most suitable form of individual entrepreneurship.

For the sale of the manufactured product, the following documents will be required:

1. special certificate of sanitary service;
2. declaration of conformity;
3. protocol of radiological examinations;
4. Guidelines for the storage and transportation of fresh mushroom products.

The profitability of this idea is undeniable. To acquire special knowledge and skills, information from the Internet will be enough. The payback of a small enterprise is possible in the first cycle, a large automated firm will pay off during the first years of continuous operation. But still, it is better for novice business executives to try their hand at a small form, and with the acquisition of experience and the accumulation of funds, it will be possible to think about expanding.

Before proceeding to a detailed consideration of the technology for the production of compost and the cultivation of mushrooms, I would like to dwell on the very concept of “technology”. In the vast majority of cases, when they talk about growing champignons, they mean "Dutch technology". This phrase is especially liked by the authors of articles in the media about some next giant projects or some results achieved by someone in the cultivation of champignons (regardless of the size of the enterprise). Do not miss the opportunity to join the "great" (that is, the "Dutch technology") and mushroom growers, both beginners and already established ones, especially those who are going to start or are already involved in gigantic projects. Which, however, is not at all surprising, since banks and other creditor institutions also fascinate this phrase.

What is the essence of mushroom growing technology? And can this essence change depending on the region?

There is a certain set of necessary conditions, the basis for a "happy" life of champignon. And this basis is absolutely independent of the place where they are going to grow champignons.

But there can be a great variety of options for implementing these necessary conditions. In each region, the mushroom grower can individually select his own best option for implementing the basis for the life of champignons. Select, develop, based on the existing real conditions (technical, economic and others), relying only on the essence of the requirements of compost and champignons, and not on some universal, far from perfect, alien version. The same "Dutch technology", especially in the preparation of compost, has long ceased to be perfect. Carbon copy work in mushroom growing is an unpromising direction.

I want to clarify: I am not against the use of imported equipment, especially since when creating technology in large industries, one cannot do without it. But even in this case, the equipment should be manufactured for the technology of future production, and not vice versa.

This is my opinion, based on the fate of almost all major industries in our country, which have gone according to the standard version of the "Dutch" technology.

In my understanding, technology is a set of actions to create the most comfortable conditions for meeting the vital needs of champignons, optimally associated with time and economic factors, developed taking into account the available technical, financial and human resources.

The technology has two components.

The first is the principles of compost preparation and the laws of the life of champignons. This part can be taken as a constant, that is, a constant value. If any changes occur in it, then they can hardly be noticed during one human life.

The second component is the constantly changing conditions in which it is necessary to ensure the implementation of the laws of compost preparation and the life of mushrooms. Here is an endless field of activity for the development, selection, invention (whatever you like) of the best option. Variant criteria - economics, time parameters of the process, financial and other nuances. Hoping that foreign equipment manufacturers will develop such an option is a naive delusion, since they pursue the only goal - to sell equipment.

The next step is the division of the technological production process into stages. The level and depth of detail of these stages depends on the professional background of the person who will be doing this. For example, a novice mushroom grower breaks the process into 2 stages. This is the preparation of compost and the cultivation of mushrooms. A mushroom grower with experience has many more stages: at least 3 phases of compost preparation, preparation of cover soil, application, growth of mycelium in it, mushroom set, watering, collection.

Detailing can continue until the layout of the entire production process is literally down to a step-by-step level.

Equally important is the highest quality and extremely detailed, detailed description of each step. What we want and need to get out of each specific step for mushrooms and compost, and how we should take this step to get the expected result. Since the step is very small, small, short, it is quite simple and realistic to achieve the above. As well as writing down everything on paper in the form of instructions that are understandable to the most dull.

If the stages are too generalized, as in the case of a novice mushroom grower, then it will not be easy for even the smartest to understand where in the stage the problem was.

When all 100% of all steps are taken in accordance with the adopted regulations, then maximum yield with maximum profit becomes an inevitable consequence.