Meet the members of the Federation

“World-class quality and taste, locally grown in the Waikato.”

Located on Ranby Road in Ohaupo, in the heart of the Waikato, the family-owned and operated team at Quality Mushrooms has been growing mushrooms for more than thirty years. The farm started in 1988 with four sheds and has grown in stages since, but its focus on quality, sustainability and innovation has stayed the same. Today it grows the only certified organic mushrooms in New Zealand.

Their philosophy is “goodness in equals goodness out”: the mushrooms are only as good as the compost they grow in. Quality Mushrooms makes its own compost from straw, chicken manure and water, and recycles leachwater through two underground tanks for reuse. Odour from composting passes through a natural bio-filter of waste compost and clean bark fibre. First built in 1991 and upgraded in 1996, it was the first of its kind on a New Zealand mushroom farm.

Mushrooms are grown indoors all year round in nine growing sheds, with conditions tuned to recreate a typical autumn morning. Every mushroom is hand-picked with a one-touch technique, placed straight into punnets and cooled immediately. It is then graded and packed in a temperature-controlled environment, with quality checks along the way. Spent compost, around 60 m³ a week, goes to local garden nurseries for mulch and soil improvement.

“Grow the best quality product, pick it early each day and deliver it immediately.”

Out of the Dark Mushrooms began in Hunua in 2009 as a family venture. Founder Phil Matheson was inspired by his travels, where he first saw oyster mushrooms being grown on coffee grounds. Portobellos were an important staple in the early years while Kiwis warmed to more ‘gourmet’ varieties.

The team stuck with long-stemmed, delicate oyster mushrooms, rich and smoky shiitake and mild, sweet enoki. They outgrew Hunua and moved to two sites, in Mt Roskill and Kumeu, in 2013. In 2018 all growing moved to glasshouses in Ōtāhuhu, with the office in Takanini.

According to its website, Out of the Dark grows about a tonne of mushrooms a week. Around 60% goes to leading restaurants such as Cocoro, Sid at The French Café and Amano. The rest goes to My Food Bag, wholesalers and supermarkets, including under its retail brand, Exotics by South.

“To be the mushroom supplier of choice.”

On the southern slopes of the Bombay Hills, next to the Waikato River in Pukekawa, sits the Mercer Mushrooms farm, home of the Bombay Button. Mushrooms are grown sustainably all year round, picked fresh and delivered daily to stores.

Formerly Cresta Mushrooms, the farm was bought in 2011 by Glen and Joanne Inger, when it produced around 15 tonnes a week. Dutch growing rooms and a specialised, fully enclosed compost production facility followed. Capacity grew significantly in 2017–18, and in 2021 a new composting and growing facility made it a fully integrated operation. Today the farm can produce 60 tonnes of mushrooms a week.

Sustainability is central. 2,200 solar panels generate around 800 MWh of energy a year, and straw and chicken manure are recycled into compost. Spent compost is resold to horticulture, and rainwater and process water are reused in compost production.