If you are looking for some extra cash to earn, these 10 most profitable gourmet mushrooms to grow may be your ideal choice.
Throughout the history, edible mushrooms have been a source of both food and medicine (and certain religious rituals that require mushroom-induced trans and hallucinations, but those aren’t the subject of this article.) Considering how many of them are poisonous, our ancestors went through a lot of pain before being able to tell with certainty which of them are edible, more than once at least.
As mushrooms started playing a bigger role in human diet, a group of them became known as gourmet mushrooms. These mushrooms have a strong taste, which can be quite various, depending on the exact species. Their health benefits are well-documented, but mostly they are consumed because of their impact on our taste buds. This is what makes them so expensive, similar to oriental spices when they were first introduced to European markets back in a day. Their high prices have naturally led people to the idea of growing gourmet mushrooms commercially and not just wandering the woods and hoping to find some. Plus, plenty of gourmet mushrooms are usually restricted to certain regions across the globe and can’t be found anywhere else, at least until they have been cultivated.
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As meat and other farm products prices rise (and they are expected to go even higher, with all the measures governments across the world are taking in reducing human effect on global climate change), mushrooms are becoming more popular than ever.
Growing gourmet mushrooms for profit is rarely the only source of income for people, although there are farms that specialize in them. For most growers, they are an additional occupation that can provide a significant cash source. What they do require is a lot of knowledge, since they can be quite fragile and a single mistake can cost you your entire crop. That is why it is so important to do your research before starting a gourmet mushroom growing business, just like you would picking Most Profitable Livestock to Raise in 2017 and make sure you have covered all the angles. We will offer you some advice, but these are mere starting points and in no way should be taken as a definite guide. We have also provided you with some great sources where you can learn more about growing gourmet mushrooms.
First of all, if you are thinking of getting rich quick by growing gourmet mushrooms, you are in for a surprise. There are business endeavors and opportunities if you are looking for a small investment that turns up big profits, like some of the Most Profitable Low Cost Franchises to Own, but gourmet mushrooms aren’t one of them. Starting a mushroom farm business can and if you do everything right, often will provide you with a decent income, but that villa in Beverly Hills will have to wait a bit.
Your location will determine whether a gourmet mushroom is a profitable venture or not. This will primarily determine your market and what you can sell on it and at what price. Usually, big cities have plenty of restaurants which can provide a steady demand and are some of the best buyers for gourmet mushrooms. Also, the location will play a role in selecting a species best suited for that climate, although with most mushrooms grown indoors, that is of lesser concern.
Finally, be careful where you buy spawns and substrates. There are a lot of frauds out there advertising best mushrooms to grow for profit and getting scammed is a real possibility. Use only reputable vendors, with a proven record or your mushroom farming career will be both expensive and short lived adventure.
Despite the wealth of information on how to grow gourmet mushrooms on the Internet, finding exactly which species are the most profitable ones can be tricky. As our starting point, we choose Hobby Farms and further refined it with the info we found on Mushroom Shack and Mycotopia forums. We used the advice we found to rank most profitable gourmet mushrooms to grow, by taking into account how easy they are to grow and sell. Here is what we came up with.
