A session on mushroom cultivation in her neighbourhood inspired Shije Varghese to embark on a journey that has led to remarkable success.

The homemaker from Eramalloor town in Alappuzha, Kerala, has been growing mushrooms since 2007, transforming her passion into a thriving venture called Coonfresh.

Shije’s love for mushrooms, known as ‘coon’ in Malayalam, started when she was a young girl. However, her decision to cultivate and sell these would take root many years later.

“As a homemaker, I had little time for anything beyond running the house and taking care of my children. But when they grew up, I realised that I had a lot of time in my hands and didn’t know what to do,” recalls Shije, now 57.

With the support of her husband, TJ Thankachan, she began cultivating mushrooms with just two packets and six beds made of sawdust from rubber trees.

She set up a shed with 300 beds and spent six months experimenting.

“Sadly, it resulted in complete failure, leaving me disheartened. However, my husband remained undeterred and motivated me enough to not give up. We visited mushroom farms across Kerala to understand where I had gone wrong,” she says.

To maintain the right temperature and humidity, crucial for mushroom growth, Shije installed a bio-hitech cooling system in her shed.

She also developed a simple fan and pad mechanism using dried vetiver grass to enhance the cooling effect.

Their oyster mushrooms quickly became the talk of the town, with the agricultural department, too, visiting their shed for live demonstrations of mushroom cultivation.

Today, the couple has set up a bio-hitech farm with over 6,000 beds, capable of producing 40-50 kgs of mushrooms per day, Thankachan informs.

They also sell value-added products, with the latest offering being a mushroom drink enhanced with Vitamin D.

The couple has trained over 10,000 farmers in mushroom cultivation and value-added products.

They sell one kg of mushrooms for Rs 350, earning over Rs 4 lakh per month.

For anyone wishing to take up mushroom cultivation, the couple emphasises that one needs patience, interest, and commitment.

“I believe it is an engaging and fulfilling venture that anyone can undertake. Roadblocks are inevitable, but with dedication and interest, nothing is impossible,” Shije asserts.