Why We’re Making the Change For years, Maya Mushrooms has been built with a singular focus – helping people grow mushrooms successfully by providing premium-quality growing materials. But the UK mushroom industry faces serious barriers: By transitioning into a non-profit, we can lower costs, improve accessibility, and reinvest in education, sustainability, and community-driven initiatives. Paul’s […]
Outgrowing our space in Bristol, we took a huge step forward, moving to a dedicated 2,500 sq. ft facility in the Forest of Dean. The transition wasn’t easy – keeping the business running while relocating took six challenging months. But the effort was worth it. With more space in a peaceful, rural setting, we finally […]
Just as we were ready to launch our gourmet mushrooms to market, the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything. With lockdowns and uncertainty, we had to pivot fast. Instead of supplying restaurants, we shifted our focus to home growers – creating grow-at-home kits for people stuck indoors. It was a stressful and uncertain time, but we persevered. […]
As demand grew, so did our ambitions. We moved into a small warehouse, finally having the space to scale up properly. With a dedicated lab, processing areas, and fulfilment spaces, we could refine our operations and boost efficiency. A major milestone was investing in a decent-sized autoclave, allowing us to produce at a much greater […]
Maya Mushrooms began with a simple idea – to make gourmet and medicinal mushrooms more accessible while creating a positive impact. Out of over 200 applicants, founder Paul Thomson was one of just 20 selected for the School of Social Entrepreneurs’ year – long programme. The journey hasn’t been easy, but we’ve kept going.
With limited resources but a clear vision, we secured a leaky shipping container at a local self-storage facility – our first real step towards scaling up. Bootstrapping everything, we kept overheads low, fixing leaks, installing electricity, and transforming the space into a functional grow room. It was a hands-on, problem-solving journey – tweaking conditions, refining […]
A passion for home mushroom cultivation quickly turned into something bigger. Seeing how difficult it was for hobby growers to access high-quality supplies, we started experimenting with ways to make cultivation easier. From late nights perfecting sterile techniques to sourcing the best materials, every step was driven by a desire to support others. What began […]
