Innovation drives growth at Ontario mushroom farm

London and Area Works: Whitecrest Mushrooms A local mushroom producer is set to double its production using innovative techniques.

London, Ont. — Whitecrest Mushrooms southeast of Dorchester, Ont. is doubling their production while cutting down on energy consumption.

Open since 1985, Murray and Chantelle Good have been running the operation since 2002, and this year have undergone an expansion that will double production to four million pounds of mushrooms a year, but through innovation, make it more sustainable

“We’ve done some innovations in the new expansion that allow us to reclaim some of our energy and put it back into the room, and still not affect the growing process of mushrooms,” says Good.

It also includes growth in terms of technology-aided devices to keep growing conditions ideal, according to Mycologist Tyler Watson

“That’s part of the shift from, mushroom growing as an art to a science, is the amount of technology that we can employ. And the constant feedback that we can receive, from these, what’s basically computer-automated room controls.”

The new expansion also includes a half room, where testing on new processes and treatments can be done on a smaller scale without affecting production.