Berenice Guinel is a Campaign officer at So In So Good - a charity funded by Hong Kong Jockey Club helping social & green startups. Her latest project is Mushroom Me! a kit for using waste to produce your own mushrooms. She tells us about these marvellous fungi:
So what is Mushroom Me! all about?
Mushroom Me! is a mushroom growing kit. It is simply a box that you have to open and water twice a day for around two weeks until your mushrooms are ready to be harvested! FoodCycle+ is a social enterprise tackling the food waste issue in Hong Kong by collecting it and turning it into valuable products. This box is one of these products. As part of So In So Good - a programme funded by Hong Kong Jockey Club to help social startups grow, I'm launching the Mushroom Me! campaign. The ultimate goal is to show people that waste is not only an issue but can also be turned into cool products!
So how will we do that?
1. We will collect coffee grounds from schools (students will collect at home) and coffee shops during one week in February.
2. We will then sell the mushroom growing kits made from them!
What has the response been so far?
A lot of enthusiasm from individuals, schools and coffee shops! But always looking for more!
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Where did this idea come from?
From coffee bush to coffee cup, we only consume 0.2% of the plant biomass. The remaining is wasted and it's absurd! Why? Because what is wasted is actually an excellent substrate to grow mushrooms - among many other things such as deodorising clothes or fridges for example! FoodCycle+ first established a partnership with Nespresso where all their customers returning their capsules got a mushroom box made from Nespresso coffee waste in exchange. There are so many coffee shops and people making coffee in Hong Kong, so why not involve as many of them as possible in allowing them to grow their mushrooms from their own coffee waste?
What’s your background?
I have studied business and economics in Paris, then worked in a tech startup in San Francisco. After that, I decided to put all my energy into startups tackling social and green issues. I had this amazing opportunity to come to Hong Kong to launch So In So Good - a charity funded by Hong Kong Jockey Club fostering social entrepreneurship. So I jumped in! I am particularly keen on circular economy and farming so I immediately fell in love with FoodCycle+'s project!
How far into the crowdsourcing project are you?
The website is done, the first schools and coffee shops are ready. Now we want more of them to get involved. It needs to be massive! The coffee waste collection week will be third week of February. Students will be able to buy the mushroom boxes made from their own coffee waste. Coffee shops will sell them to their customers. It's a great way to both show their customers that they are acting to recycle their waste and allow them to enjoy growing easily mushrooms made from their favourite coffee shop waste.
What kind of waste is needed for option mushroom growing?
Each box is half filled with coffee grounds. The rest is other organic waste as well as wood chips. Then we add some mycelia that will "digest" this food waste and eventually turn into mushrooms. A few people have raised concern about eating a vegetable grown from food waste. If you are also concerned about that, you need to know that real compost in real farms is actually made from food waste as well, which is way better than using fertiliser...
What kind of crop can growers expect from their mini mushroom farms?
When you receive the box, you simply need to cut the top and water it twice a day for around two weeks. When your mushrooms will start growing, their size will double each day, it's quite impressive (even magic!). Then you just have to harvest and bring them into your kitchen! You will get 300g of mushrooms. Then, if you are lucky, it will grow again from the other side!
What dishes have you made with yours?
Mushrooms are great because they taste amazing in so many recipes from Chinese-style soup to spaghetti or pizza (they cook some in FoodCycle+'s farm in Sheung Shui and I cannot wait to taste!). I would say that right now I'm craving for a mushroom risotto, with a lot of parmesan cheese of course!
Is it easy for amateur growers?
Super easy to grow! Just spray in the morning and evening! You only need to make sure it doesn't become too dry. It was actually my first time growing a veggie so I'm sure anyone can do it.
Mushroom Me is always looking for more schools and coffee shops to join this programme. Contact berenice@inco.co.com
Find out more here : mushroom-me.com