Quality Mushrooms

This family-owned and operated farm has been growing top quality mushrooms for over thirty years.  

Quality Mushrooms was built from the ground up by Frans in 1988 and is now operated by two of his sons, Daniel (left), the General Manager and Maarten (right), the head grower, with their little ones (the next generation of mushroom farmers). What started as only 4 growing rooms, has developed into what’s now a professional growing facility, with 9 fully climate controlled growing rooms, a compost yard, and composting tunnel facilities.

Located in Ohaupo, Waikato, Quality Mushrooms has expanded and developed over time, however the focus on quality, sustainability and innovation has remained the same.

Growing mushrooms is not only a science, but an art. Mushrooms require precise conditions to grow, and it takes 12 weeks from compost bed to harvest.  Daniel and his team produce 10-12 tonnes of mushrooms a week and each mushroom is harvested by hand.  They specialise in white button mushrooms and portabella mushrooms, harvesting 365 days a year.

Long before sustainability was trendy, Quality Mushrooms has been an active player. As part of a circular economy, they produce their own compost by using by-products from other companies that would otherwise be considered waste. For example, wheat straw (from harvesting wheat) and chicken manure are utilised. This way they know what’s going into their compost and even more importantly, what’s not going into it. 

After the mushrooms have grown and been harvested, the compost left over goes to local landscaping companies who use it in gardens, where it goes back to the land. This supports their goal of having the smallest ecological footprint as possible. Their environmentally conscious efforts date back to their first Waste-free Award in 1999. 

Furthermore, about 10 years ago, Quality Mushrooms started adding solar power panels to their facility and now have 200 solar panels on their rooftops. When the sun is shining, this renewable energy source powers the growing rooms.

Innovation is what makes Quality Mushrooms stand out in their industry. When they first started, there were 37 mushroom growers in NZ, now there are 3. Daniel explains they are continually looking for ways to improve, ways to stand out and ways to provide fresh, high-quality mushrooms to consumers.

This sparked their next initiative and after numerous challenges, in 2019, Quality Mushrooms became certified organic by BioGro. As with other crops, this means no chemical fertilisers or pesticides are used and a comprehensive audit is successfully achieved. Thinking outside the box, Maarten utilises natural methods to combat mould growth and disrupt pest life cycles.  

The team are proud of this achievement and each year the demand for organic mushrooms has steadily increased. Chantal Organics was one of their first organic wholesale customers and this relationship has been important in supporting this initiative.  Once harvested, mushrooms have a short shelf life, so by working together, they can ensure consumers are getting the freshest organic mushrooms NZ has to offer.