Mushroom Growers Are The Ultimate Recyclers!

Mushroom growers are often described as the ultimate recyclers.

Mushroom food is made from wheat straw, poultry litter, organic materials, gypsum and water and -when carefully combined –  this provides a nutrient-rich medium for producing more high-quality mushrooms!

SA Mushrooms at Virginia is a family-run SA business and is also one of our long-term suppliers.   It is operated by the Femia family who supply our stores with top-quality Swiss brown and white button and field mushrooms which are delivered only hours after being picked.

Our Sustainability Officer Brian Johnston recently visited SA Mushrooms and met with CEO Nick Femia to learn more about the innovative company’s sustainability efforts.  

Adelaide’s Finest has always had a genuine commitment to environmental sustainability and we released our Sustainability Plan last year to formalise our existing philosophies and help measure successes along the way.

The Femia family at SA Mushrooms also puts sustainability and the circular economy at the heart of its operations including its strong emphasis on compostable and recyclable packaging and its efforts with waste water recovery.

Brian discovered that 100 per cent of the run-off water generated during the composting process is collected and then reused.

 “A rainwater collection on site supplies them with all of their water requirements,”  he says.

The business is also conscious of being energy efficient and has installed a network of solar panels and inverters which means they can reduce their reliance on non-renewable energy sources.

“Their solar panels meet 70 per cent of their power requirements and they need this to have climate and humidity control in the mushroom growing areas,” Brian says.

Nick Femia is proud that SA Mushrooms uses by-products from other businesses, value adds to them and transforms this into raw materials perfect for mushroom growing bed.

Once the mushrooms are harvested, the mushroom substrate goes back into the environment as a sought-after potting mix, garden mulch and soil conditioner which is ideal for any home garden, vineyard or market garden – so the cycle is complete.