Out of the Dark Mushrooms founder Phil Matheson comes from a farming background, and has been surrounded by agriculture and horticulture his entire life. Having always possessed an entrepreneurial spark, Phil always had a passion for running his own businesses, even during his university days. During his world travels, this entrepreneurial spark was lit up when he saw long stemmed, delicate Oyster mushrooms being grown on coffee grounds, and he was inspired to bring innovation and variety to mushrooms in New Zealand.
From humble beginnings in their 2 mushroom sheds in Hunua, Phil and his partner began selling their button and portobello mushrooms at the Clevedon Markets, and it didn’t take long before their mushrooms gained the attention of Restauranteurs and Chefs including Sid Sarawat and Hipgroup (Ortolana, The Store and Amano).
Though the mushrooms were appreciated by the ‘foodie’ crowd, Phil admits they were probably still 3 – 5 years ahead of their time. “It would take awhile for kiwis to cotton on to the more ‘gourmet’ mushroom varieties,’ he says, ‘traditionally kiwis have viewed mushrooms with suspicion, seeing them as something that grows on horse and cow poo’ laughs Phil. In order to keep the business going, Phil grew the Oyster mushrooms he had been inspired by in the States, but also relied on Portobellos as an important staple in those first few years while kiwis grew to appreciate a wider variety.
By 2013, this spirit of perseverance saw Out of the Dark Mushrooms outgrow their Hunua facilities and begin farming at two sites in 2013 – one in Mt Roskill and the other in Kumeu. The next move in 2018 saw the entire farming site move to glasshouses in Otahuhu with the office remaining in Takanini. Plans are now underway to develop a purpose-built mushroom farming facility.
Today Out of the Dark Mushrooms is producing about a tonne of mushrooms per week, with Phil at the helm – ‘mushrooms grow 24 hours, 7 days a week so your cellphone becomes your right arm,’ he says. Phil hasn’t had a day off in over a year, and the disruption caused by Covid hasn’t helped. Business is steadily bouncing back though thanks to the strength and faith of the team, and the strong personal relationships Phil has built with Chefs, Restauranteurs and his customers. ‘We use an ordering system called Fresho,’ explains Phil, ‘that allows Chefs to quickly order what they want for next day delivery … sometimes they’ll call or text me direct which is fine too.’
Mushrooms are packed fresh every single day, with the first delivery run leaving around 10:30am. At 1pm another truck leaves for Countdown (one of Out of the Dark Mushroom’s biggest customers), and often some more afternoon deliveries to wholesalers if they need a top up.
With the business well and truly on a growth trajectory now, Phil and his team are starting to concentrate on strategic planning for the future, ‘Today, with global travel commonplace, people are experiencing – and enjoying – new tastes, textures and flavours abroad. This is impacting on the food scene here. We’re more experimental and open to new foods as is evidenced on supermarket shelves.’
https://www.freshmushrooms.co.nz/
