Mihau Sówka and his wife Valetta moved to their rural property, Motueka Valley, in March, ready to take the next step for their thriving business Matariki Mushrooms. They converted the garage into a workshop. There, organic straw is transformed into a nutrient-rich substrate. It is also equipped with a container with a laboratory and two temperature-controlled compartments.

At the far end of the container, dark, warm conditions replicate the underground environment. Here, the mycelium grows in the matrix pouch. When the mushrooms begin to bear fruit, the bag is moved to the next compartment and grows under carefully controlled daylight conditions.

He explained that fungi played an important role in Mihau's childhood in Poland and Germany. His grandfather grows mushrooms in an abandoned sandpit. Every fall, the little boy and his mother go to find fungi. In university, he studied environmental science and sustainable agriculture: these interests are incorporated in the work he is doing now.

With funding from Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu, an organization that supports social change and the well-being of Maori, the couple are studying mycoremediation: the use of fungi to cleanse the soil. They hope that one day this will become a core part of their business.

Source: stuff.co.nz Image source: Facebook.com

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