"MEET THE GROWER" - CYGNET MUSHROOM FARM TASMANIA EDITION
/The final stop of "Meet The Grower" Tasmania edition with chef Massimo Mele, brought us to the bubbly and adorable Bec Bovell who is doing innovative things with mushrooms.
Three years into operations, the Cygnet Valley Mushroom Farm has gone from strength to strength and is now producing some of the finest mushrooms in the country.
“From day one, we haven’t been able to keep up with demand.”
MUSHROOMS SPROUTING AT CYGNET FARM.
Ms Bovell, affectionately known by locals as The Mushroom Lady, started the Cygnet Mushroom Farm three years ago. She had no previous mushroom growing experience but did have an eye for opportunity. Huon Valley Mushrooms, run by parent company Costa, had closed its doors, leaving a gap in the market.
"They transferred their growing of the brown and white mushrooms up to a Devonport site, but the growing of the speciality mushrooms they dropped," Ms Bovell said.
"I just thought, 'I could do that, wouldn't that be exciting?'"
As Ms Bovell set about buying Costa's old machinery, and even hiring some of their old staff, she began reading up on mushroom standards and discovered a trend.
"When I looked at all the models of other mushroom farms, they basically love to grow mushrooms that are perfect," she said.
MASSIMO AND LUKE PICKING MUSHROOMS AT CYGNET FARM.
Later this month we will be taking some of our SDFP customers on a trip to Tasmania to "Meet The Grower" and taste some of the wonderful mushrooms that Bec has to offer at Cygnet Mushroom Farm.
A STUNNING VARIETY OF MUSHROOMS.
LUKE GETTING EDUCATED ON THE PROCESS OF MUSHROOM GROWING.