Three recent graduates from CMS College, Kottayam, have built a commercial mushroom operation in Thrissur just six months after finishing their degrees, producing 150 kg of mushrooms daily from an 8,000-square-foot facility.
G.P. Akhil (23), Muhammed Sahad (23) and K.A. Ansil (22), former volleyball teammates, launched the venture using a bank loan and a partnership with a Thrissur native who provided land and capital. The operation runs across 10,000 growing beds and produces a range of varieties including Button, Milky, Shiitake, Lion's Mane and Blue, Gold and Pink Oysters, catering to both local and high-end culinary markets.
The farm incorporates a circular water system that links the mushroom facility to an on-site fish pond. Wastewater from the farm is purified and fed to the pond, while pond water is cycled back to cool pads that regulate growing temperatures. The trio also runs an in-house spawn laboratory to maintain quality control and independence over seed production.
Trading under the brand Home Mushroom, the three have moved beyond raw produce into value-added products including mushroom soaps, pickles and pappadams. They also sell cultivation kits to help others set up small-scale mushroom farms. Akhil had prior experience with terrace farming before the group made the leap into commercial production. The venture has been generating income in the lakhs since launching, with the founders positioning agriculture not as a fallback but as a deliberate career choice.
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