How it all started

Shroom-Mates cultivated their first mushrooms in 2022. Casey and Rachel Andre (that’s us!) have both been heavily involved in local agriculture and food since 2013, and periodically before that. We saw a mushroom sized gap in local food production, and with our combined experience, we decided to jump into our community and fill it.

When you hear the phrase “humble beginnings”, that was us! We began growing mushrooms in a homemade tent in our basement. Our production rate was around 5 pounds a week. We experimented with using different growing mediums, different mushroom strains, and different environmental manipulation. Over time as we learned how to grow and sell, and with a grant we received from Local Food Works Foundation of Salina, we were able to upgrade to a large grow tent, complete with shelving, temperature control, and a large humidifier that Casey built. In fact, Casey has built us so much equipment that we’ve had to coin a new term: Casey-constructed. He can build just about anything!

Since then, we have expanded into multiple farmer’s markets in the Salina area, contribute to local CSA’s, and provide beautiful, high-quality culinary mushrooms to restaurants and stores in our area. It has been a joy to meet and interact with our customers—store managers, restauranteurs, and adventurous home chefs.

It is our mission to keep fun, fresh, exciting and nutrient-dense food circulating in our community. We have a passion for teaching others about the growing process, enjoy swapping recipes and cultivation techniques, and love learning everything and anything about the crazy, beautiful world of fungi.