Mushroom

City
Research & Development Paper

UCD Innovation Academy Group Project

Presented 26 June 2013
Team: Adesola Olowu macolowu69@gmail.com Adrian OKeeffe adrianokeeffe@gmail.com Gerry Kelly gerrykelly23@gmail.com Jenny MacGregor jpmacgregor@gmail.com Kadi Mrk kadi442@gmail.com

Conducted during May and June of 2013

Executive Summary
The following research and development report for Mushroom City outlines in some detail the important considerations and implication for a business revolving around the growing of gourmet mushrooms in used coffee grounds. Over a period of six weeks, the Innovation Academy team of Adesola, Adrian, Gerry, Jenny and Kadi explored different business models, supply chain options, branding and product development, among on the things. The resulting R&D report consists of five sections: Understand It Comprehending the scope of both the problem and possible solutions and, through market research, competitor studies and general digging, narrowing the product recommendation to one: a grow-at-home Oyster mushroom kit. Fund It various suggestions for start-up and operational funding for Mushrooms City based on cost estimates gathered by the team. Make it An in-depth, step-by-step guide for product development and business operations including recommendations for collection and delivery of coffee grounds and grow kits, staffing and key partnerships. Market It branding, logos and market strategy for Mushroom City all designed by the team in conjunction with the client. Use It Retail, educational and community development uses for the grow kits and the mushroom City brand.

Additional resources included with this report are pre-populated financial projections, editable marketing materials, suggested packaging verbiage and complete market research outcomes.

Contents
Executive Summary ...................................................................................................................................... 2 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................. 6 Understand It: What is Mushroom City and what is the team challenge? .................................................. 7 Key Findings ............................................................................................................................................. 7 Key Recommendations ............................................................................................................................ 7 Why mushrooms? ................................................................................................................................ 7 Why coffee grounds? ........................................................................................................................... 8 Why Dublin? ......................................................................................................................................... 8 Why Innovation Academy? .................................................................................................................. 9 Product Recommendation ....................................................................................................................... 9 Fund It: Sources of Project Funding ............................................................................................................. 9 Key Findings ............................................................................................................................................. 9 Key Recommendations .......................................................................................................................... 10 Cost Estimates ........................................................................................................................................ 10 Funding Options ..................................................................................................................................... 10 Make It: Recommended Product Development ........................................................................................ 11 Key Findings ........................................................................................................................................... 11 Key Recommendations .......................................................................................................................... 11 Operations ............................................................................................................................................. 11 Grow Kit Materials ................................................................................................................................. 13 Key Partnerships .................................................................................................................................... 14 Coffee grounds producers .................................................................................................................. 14 Schools and community groups ......................................................................................................... 15 Transport ................................................................................................................................................ 15

Cargo tricycle ..................................................................................................................................... 15 Delivery van ....................................................................................................................................... 16 Staffing ................................................................................................................................................... 16 Market It: Branding and Marketing Strategy ............................................................................................. 17 Key Findings ........................................................................................................................................... 17 Key Recommendations .......................................................................................................................... 17 Market Research .................................................................................................................................... 17 Marketing Strategy ................................................................................................................................ 18 Branding ................................................................................................................................................. 18 Website .................................................................................................................................................. 18 Social Media ........................................................................................................................................... 19 Facebook, Twitter .............................................................................................................................. 19 Tumblr ................................................................................................................................................ 19 Pinterest ............................................................................................................................................. 19 Traditional / Offline Marketing .............................................................................................................. 19 Media ..................................................................................................................................................... 20 Use It: Retail, Education and Ancillary Applications for Mushroom City ................................................... 20 Key Findings ........................................................................................................................................... 20 Key Recommendations .......................................................................................................................... 20 Business Roll-Out ................................................................................................................................... 21 Retail ...................................................................................................................................................... 22 Education ............................................................................................................................................... 22 Job Creation and Up-skilling ................................................................................................................... 23 FAS work placement scheme ............................................................................................................. 23 National Internship Scheme ............................................................................................................... 23 Volunteering ...................................................................................................................................... 24

Ancillary Applications ............................................................................................................................. 25 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................................. 25 Bibliography ............................................................................................................................................... 26 Appendices ................................................................................................................................................. 27 Appendix 1: Start-up Expenses * ........................................................................................................... 27 Appendix 2: Monthly Operation Costs* ................................................................................................. 28 Appendix3: Grant Opportunities ............................................................................................................ 30 Appendix 4 Coffee Partnership Options and Findings ......................................................................... 33 Appendix 6: Market Research Results ................................................................................................... 37 Appendix 7: Branding ............................................................................................................................. 39 Mushroom City basic logo .................................................................................................................. 39 Mushroom City extended logo ........................................................................................................... 39 Mushroom City branding colour palate and fonts ............................................................................. 40 Mushroom City cargo trike with branding ......................................................................................... 40 Stamp for seed pack ........................................................................................................................... 41 Seed pack concept ............................................................................................................................. 41 Mushroom City website homepage concept 1 .................................................................................. 42 Mushroom City website homepage concept 2 .................................................................................. 43 Mushroom City about page concept ................................................................................................ 44 Dublin Urban Farm website rebrand concept .................................................................................... 45 Mushroom City Facebook concept .................................................................................................... 46 Mushroom City Twitter concept ........................................................................................................ 47 Mushroom City Pinterest concept ..................................................................................................... 48 Appendix 8: Ideas Board ........................................................................................................................ 49

Introduction
Mushroom City is a new urban farming project nestled in the heart of Dublins city centre. Spearheaded by the people behind the hugely successful Urban Farm Rooftop Garden, on Kings Inn Street Dublin 1, the concept is simple. Thousands of kilos of coffee grounds are wasted every week in Dublin City, and it just so happens that these coffee grounds make a fantastic substrate for growing mushrooms. So the idea is to go to the local cafes, collect the grounds and grow ourselves some lovely oyster mushrooms. Yum! The coffee grounds are perfect because they are eco-friendly, full of good stuff for plants like phosphorus and potassium and a low level source of nitrogen. Oyster mushrooms are perfect because they arent too difficult to grow, dont like much sunlight and taste spectacular. Sounds good but how does it all work? The first thing we do is collect the grounds with cargo bikes with baskets. This way we arent wasting money or resources on fuel and our workers get lots of fresh air and exercise. Once the grounds are collected from the local cafes they are stored in the local fruit market, not far from Urban Farm HQ. The fruit market, which was once a buzzing, vibrant place has been in decline in recent years so reusing it as a place to set up Mushroom City operations makes sense and will help to renew interest in the area. Once the coffee grounds arrive at the market, mushroom spawn is mixed with it and portioned off into individual kilo bags. The bags are then placed for three weeks in a walk in cold room to incubate the mushroom mycelia (spawn), which is an important part of the growing cycle. After the incubation period the kilo bags are placed in branded packaging and delivered to outlets based on pending orders. Mushroom City is a simple idea but an important one. We are taking a very eco-friendly waste product and turning it into gourmet organic produce. Not only that but we are working with local volunteers and businesses and helping to renew an area of the city that needs a little help. We think that with some funding, innovation and lots of fun we can make Mushroom City a proud success story and build on the great work already established by Dublins Urban Farm.

Understand It: What is Mushroom City and what is the team challenge?
Key Findings
Less than 1 % of the biomass used to make a cup of coffee is consumed and the remainder is generally dumped Coffee grounds are a pre-sterile and nutritious substrate for growing gourmet mushrooms like Oyster The management of Dublin city coffee serving outlets are interested in the idea of up-cycling their coffee waste Bulk sales of gourmet mushrooms is a very low profit for business for the work required

Key Recommendations
Growing mushrooms from used coffee grounds will be a viable venture for this Dublin City venture Oyster mushrooms are idea for a mushroom from grounds operation It will be better to focus on one product and do it well than spread our focus over multiple products The highest return will be on grow-at-home kits

Why mushrooms? Facts about mushrooms:

Mushrooms are fungi and are neither plants nor animals They grow all year round They are a good source of dietary fiber They are rich in potassium, zinc, selenium and most of the B group vitamins 100g of mushroom contain no fat and between 35-100 kJ of energy (Freshforkids.com, 11/06/13) Mushrooms are easy to grow under the right conditions

Pleurotus ostreatus, the oyster mushroom, is a common edible mushroom and is one of the more commonly sought wild mushrooms. They are found wild in temperate forests and some species in tropical forests. These mushrooms can also be cultivated in a commercial capacity to supply the worlds

markets. Typically, they grow on dead logs but coffee grounds are an excellent substrate for cultivation (Fungi Futures, 5/6/13). Why coffee grounds? Facts about coffee and coffee ground: Only 1% of ground coffee is consumed, the rest is regarded as waste and thrown away. Coffee waste in the UK estimated at 1.25 tons/week (WasteLessLiveMore.com, 5/6/13) Used coffee grounds are generally added to other food waste and dumped Coffee grounds are not only sterile after the coffee making process but are rich key elements for growing oyster mushrooms Coffee shops large and small have started packaging their used coffee grounds for home gardeners to use as soil conditioners Coffee is the worlds most important beverage and second-largest traded commodity next to oil Coffee grounds can be used as plant food as they add nutrient to the soil

In the context of an urban coffee culture environment the opportunities to readily source this form of substrate on a regular basis are quite high. One must, however explore a number of factors when deciding on using this raw material as the primary form of substrate. Can you source enough substrate to meet your needs? Who should you approach to source it? How do you set up a dependable supply chain to meet needs?

Why Dublin? There are hundreds of coffee ground producing entities in the City Centre alone including cafes, restaurants and hotels. These outlets are paying to dispose of their used coffee grounds instead of up- cycling them for re-use. In cities around the world, mushroom from ground businesses are highly successful. The most prominent and successful being Back to the Roots in California (http://www.backtotheroots.com/), Gro-Cycle in the UK (http://grocycle.com/) and GRO-Holland in The Netherlands (http://www.gro-holland.com/). To date, Ireland does not have a mushroom from grounds producer and anyone looking to buy mushroom grow kits must source an imported product from a handful of Irish garden centres or order them online.

Dublin is small city that is easily traversed by bicycle, making substrate collection and product delivery easy and efficient. There is a strong and ever expanding movement to grow food at home or in allotments and to eat locally. Mushrooms City would capitalize on these ideas in demonstrating the ease with which one can grow mushrooms at home. Additionally, the re-use of what would formally have been classified as a food waste would support the sustainability efforts that are not just building in Dublin but worldwide. The Urban Farm has already espoused the ideals of sustainability, eating locally, growing your own, up- cycling and reducing waste. From this platform, the Mushroom City project is poised to expand the important Urban Farm message and principles. Why Innovation Academy? The Innovation Academy team was tasked with research and development of a mushrooms from grounds programme in an Irish context. As part of a programme of innovation and Entrepreneurship, the team is ideally suited to apply creative and innovative thinking to the project and suggest well thought out and researched solutions.

Product Recommendation
After coming to understand the process of growing mushrooms from coffee grounds and the issues surrounding supply chain and retail sales for this business, the IA team deemed the grow-at-home kits to be the more viable product over bulk growing for wholesale or direct to restaurant and market sales. To that end, the focus of the team became product development, marketing, use and funding for these grow kits. The most important challenge to the business, as with most businesses will be funding.

Fund It: Sources of Project Funding

Key Findings
The estimated start-up cost for Mushroom City is 2,665 (See: Appendix 1) Estimated monthly operations, excluding the cost of materials for grow kits per month will be just over 6,000 (See: Appendix 2) The number of grow kits sold at a suggested retail price of 12.50/ea. to break even is approximately 596 per month Despite the recession in Ireland, funds are available for start-ups from many different sources

Because of the innovative and environmentally friendly nature of Mushroom City, there are a number of specific grants for which the project could be eligible

Urban Farm has been successful in the past with crowd source funding

Key Recommendations
The quickest and most efficient funding solution for start-up capital will be through crowd source funding campaigns with Fundit or similar Using the information in this R&D report to complete a business plan, the Mushroom City management team could easily apply for the following (See: Appendix 3): Environmental Protection Agency Dublin City Enterprise Board Industry Research and Development Group

Cost Estimates
All costs in the report are estimates only and based on internet research, vendor quotes or best guesses. In all areas, care has been taken to be as accurate as possible with estimates and every attempt was made to predict all cost factors. The IA team based the suggested retail price of 12.50 for the grow kits on the prices of similar products in the US and UK and on market research survey responses. Operational costs include monthly rent and utilities for the production facility, staffing, operational materials and marketing costs.

Funding Options
When exploring the funding opportunities of a venture of this type it is important to spread the focus as wide as possible. There are a number of grants currently available for start-up businesses in Ireland. Because Mushrooms City has elements of environmental sustainability, eco-innovation and up-cycling the venture is eligible for a number of grants and awards solely for these types of projects. In addition, there are City Enterprise Board resources and myriad incubator funds available to Dublin small to medium enterprises (SMEs). For a list of available relevant grants and their details, see Appendix 3. This Iist is not exhaustive, but rather a guide to the types of funding available. Crowd funding can be used by start-ups to raise money for projects. It involves asking a crowd of people online to donate money to your project. Using Fundit as a crowd source funding platform, a goal amount 10

is set with a deadline, and rewards are offered to donors. 100% of your goal must be raised before the deadline, or all the donations are returned to the donors. Deadlines are typically less than 60 days. The Dublin Urban Farm project was successfully aided by a crowd source funding campaign that reached 108% of the funding target. With the success of the Urban Farm effort, a second Fundit campaign would be the best source of start-up funding for Mushroom City. Based on the estimated start-up costs of just under 3,000, the goal of raising start-up funding through a Fundit campaign is achievable. The promotional video produced by the IA team, led by film director Gerry Kelly could be used to great effect on a Fundit campaign. Other funding avenues include bank loans (unlikely in the current economic climate), public/private partnership (again, unlikely given the nature of the business) and fundraising events.

Make It: Recommended Product Development

Key Findings
A mushroom from grounds operation, while simple, requires a sterile, climate controlled environment Pre-sterile coffee grounds should be used within 24 hours of brewing to ensure continued sterile substrate Customized packaging will be required for grow kits Much of the equipment required to for the Mushroom City operation can be sourced and customized from up-cycled materials

Key Recommendations
The primary product for Mushroom City should be the grow kit for individual sale at retail nodes and online A full-time operations and sales manager is required for Mushroom City To begin with, substrate should be collected and grow kits delivered with existing Urban Farm transport vehicle

Operations
Operationally, the Mushroom City Project will require several steps before launching including:

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Seed capital acquirement Acquiring a sterile base of operations Workspace build-out and kit-out Partnership development HACCP approval Bord Bia approval EPA approval Business registration

Mushroom City is a fairly simple operation and the aim of all involved is to keep it as green as possible. All equipment and packaging will be eco-friendly and up-cycled where possible. The process of growing oyster mushroom on spent coffee grounds is: 1. Ordering spawn 2. Pasteurize growing media 3. Mixing substrate and spawn 4. Filling mushroom bags 5. Incubation 6. Growing and harvesting The workspace for mixing coffee grounds and mushrooms spawn must be sterile and have areas for office functions, inoculated substrate storage, packaging and general storage. Ideally, workers should be kitted out in sterile tyvek suits, gloves, masks and shoe covers. The growing media (used coffee grounds) is already pasteurized after the coffee maker process and must remain sterile through transport and mixing. To that end, sterile containers and biodegradable bin liners must be provided at all outlets where coffee grounds are being collected. Based on the existing Urban Farm example, the collection bins would be generated from up-cycled, clean containers. Biodegradable bin liners would be replaced on a daily bases when the grounds are collected. The grounds bags must be sealed before transport. Additionally, retailers must make the collection part of their daily routine and Mushroom City must maintain the collection agreement/relationship with substrate supplier (retailer). Training for both workers in the substrate collection sites and Mushroom City will be the key to acquiring and maintaining clean substrate.

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Spawn for Oyster mushrooms, sourced from Mycelia Mushroom Spawn Laboratory in Belgium (http://www.mycelia.be/en/mycelium-for-professionals/final-spawn), will be cold shipped to Mushroom City in aerated microsacs and ready to mix with substrate. Spawn can keep for up to 4 months in a regularly ventilated refrigeration unit (Mycelia, 12/6/3012). Spawn are inoculated into the substrate at a ratio 5:1. Once mixed, the individual grow bags are filled with just under 1 kg of substrate/spawn mixture and incubated for a period of three weeks before they are ready to be boxed and delivered to retail nodes or sold online. After incubation, the kits are opened at the perforated area of the box and the grow bags sliced to allow the shock necessary to spur the mushroom growth. The first flush, or harvest, will be within 14 days. After the first flush, the bag can be turned and sliced in a different area to produce a second flush. A third and fourth flush are sometimes possible. Kits can be kept for up to 4 weeks before opening. For detailed instruction on home growing from kit, see Appendix 5. After the final flush, the substrate can be used as a soil conditioner or as a medium for growing plants from seeds. Mushroom City grow kits will include a seed pack and instructions for planting. Thus, creating a third use for the coffee beans. Additional questions unanswered in the report: 1. How are the used grounds cleanly pressed to eliminate sufficient moisture before inoculation? 2. Is a catalyst, such as torn cardboard or saw dust necessary in the substrate mixture and if so, where to source a sterile and sustainable supply?

Grow Kit Materials

Each kit will require: 1 Custom-made biodegradable cardboard box with perforation (printed when financially feasible) 1 Polypropylene bag with filter holes 2 3 Custom printed labels (in the early stages of operations) Approx 800 grams of substrate mixed with approximately 200 grams of Oyster mushroom spawn Glue - enough to seal the box

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1 Seed packet containing approximately 20 seeds (herbs, salad leaves, shamrocks or other vegetables)

Estimated costs for each component of the grow kits can be found in Appendix 2.

Key Partnerships
Coffee grounds producers Innovation Academy team members canvassed local businesses that sell coffee and introduced the Mushroom City concept. Benefits to the retailer include a waste disposal facility which would reduce costs for those paying for waste by weight and, on the corporate social responsibility side, substrate suppliers can advertise their ethical up-cycling of coffee waste. Based on initial interviews with businesses in high footfall areas that sell fresh coffee beverages in Dublin 1 and 2, there is indeed enough coffee waste produced to facilitate a start up companys needs. In addition, there is also keen interest in the programme from shop managers. See Appendix 4 for a complete account of interview findings. Dublin is home to very large caf chains and a number of smaller chains and independent coffee producing retailers. The question of whether a single large source for substrate or multiple small sources would suit best the business model is important to consider as there are pros and cons with each. The advantage of using one large source with multiple branches is that you are dealing with one organisation and not multiple management structures. A top down directive to branches saves time and resources. It is imperative that a reliable and regular collection schedule is maintained as there is very little leeway for a breakdown in the waste management relationship. If a negative pattern appears it may violate agreements and lead to a loss of partnership. This will always be the risk if relying solely on one large supplier. Smaller shops will mean more personal relationships on a shop to shop basis which may be time consuming. The smaller coffee shop locations are chosen based on geographical proximity to the operation and not based on the head office location. As the outlets are smaller in nature they may not collectively produce sufficient quantities of substrate to facilitate production needs. With increased numbers of smaller outlets come more demanding collection schedules which will lead to more staff hours for the collection process. However the risk of loss of supply is reduced and retail node options are increased. 14

Given the amount of substrate needed daily Monday Friday at the beginning of the project (20 - 25 kg to break even), we recommend collection from a number of smaller suppliers to begin with to increase brand awareness and retail opportunities. When demand increases, it will be important to solidify an arrangement with a larger producer in addition to existing suppliers to meet the operational needs of the business. Within the partnership agreement combination branding could be discussed. The coffee shops corporate brand could be affixed to the packaging of the grow kit as a sign of support and association and as a provenance of the substrate. This branding would be secondary to Mushroom City Projects branding and used to show affiliation. It would be in the interest of the corporate partner as part of their CSR policy to link their brand with an environmentally friendly product that reduces their waste and thus their mark on the environment. The partnership could also be an opportunity to use the coffee outlets as a point of sale for the grow kits. They could be displayed in store for their customers to see how green and sustainable their coffee habits are. Any purchases of these kits in store would be done with a PLU number so a weekly/daily read out of sales statistics could be generated and replacement units could be ordered. Schools and community groups Other key partnerships will be important for the educational arm of Mushroom City. Primary and secondary school visits and grow kit projects will be a core component in spreading the Urban Farm and Mushroom City ethos grow your own, up-cycle, reduce waste and eat locally. To begin, these outreach efforts will be focused on local Dublin City schools and Green Schools Ireland (http://www.greenschoolsireland.org/). The natural link between the Dublin Urban Farm and Mushroom City should be maintained to share existing market base and jointly grow brand awareness for both ventures. Partnerships with college sustainability groups like Trinity Centre for the Environment (http://www.tcd.ie/environment/) and the UCD Earth Institute (http://www.ucd.ie/earth) would facilitate possible internships and continued innovation around the project.

Transport
Cargo tricycle

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Cargo tricycles do not require fuel, tax, insurance or parking permits. They are free to run once purchased, save for the odd bit of maintenance. They have the added advantage of being a mobile advertisement for the company as there are panels available for branding. They would be used by staff to collect substrate and deliver stock to fulfill orders in the city. Delivery van Once there is an operational demand, a second hand vehicle could be purchased with funding. Volkswagen Transporter vans, as an example have an excellent resale value and could be converted to use biodiesel. Aside from the obvious advantages of having a motorised vehicle to transport substrate and stock, a van increases the catchment area of contact well beyond what a cargo trike could achieve. As with a cargo trike it would be a mobile advertisement for the company as there are panels available for branding. The van is unaffected by most Irish weather conditions but will incur overhead expenses, namely fuel, tax, insurance, parking permits and maintenance and its use would be limited to licensed drivers. The Dublin Urban Farm currently utilizes one cargo trike that will be the vehicle used in the startup stages of the Mushroom City operation to collect used coffee grounds and deliver grow kits to retail nodes. For every grow kit, approximately 800 grams of used grounds is required. When demand for kit sales begins to exceed the capacity of the single trike, an additional cargo tricycle or transporter van will be required. It is important for all aspects of the Mushroom City operation to be green and transport vehicles must be carbon neutral or as close to carbon neutral as possible. All transport vehicles and staff will bear the Mushroom City branding.

Staffing
One full-time manager for operations, sales and marketing and two part-time staff members for collection, delivery and kit production will be required to produce 50 grow kits per day based on a 5 day week. Coffee Collection: --------------->Delivery/Storage ------------------>Packaging shops (3 - 5) = 60 kg 1 person 2 trips fruit and veg market Mix time = 30 mins 50 L mixing bin fruit and veg market 25 boxes = 30 mins 50 boxes = 1 hour 1 person

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1 Trip = 2 hours. Grow kit orders for following day - delivered during substrate collection Collector - 4 hours Mixer/packager - 2 hours 50 branded kits Our recommendation for staffing would be to avail of either a FAS employment or CE scheme through the Department of Social Protection. Details for both programmes will be found in the Use It section of this report.

Market It: Branding and Marketing Strategy

Key Findings
A study of competitor products reveals a common theme of eco-friendly and organic themed branding Market research into the branding concepts developed by the IA team demonstrated a Dublin bias for themes similar to the market leaders The Dublin urban Farm has a large number of existing online followers The Dublin urban farm is currently receiving positive media attention

Key Recommendations
Because of the existing Dublin Urban Farm online community following, it would be best to maintain a brand association between Mushroom City and the Dublin Urban Farm The Mushroom City logo and associated branding visuals should impart eco-friendly, urban, gourmet and home growing while remaining simple and clean An online social media campaign will be the most powerful marketing tool for Mushroom City

Market Research
The Innovation Academy team carried out market research on two levels: 1. Competitor analysis 2. Survey

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An online competitor analysis of Back to the Roots, Gro-Cycle and GRO Holland confirmed that there is indeed a market for gourmet mushroom grow kits in the American and European markets.

Marketing Strategy Branding

The aim of the Mushroom City branding concept is to impart the ideas of urban, sustainability, mushrooms and trendy in one simple image or set of images. Ultimately, the Mushroom City logo consists of the brand name inside of a mushroom with a cityscape cap. The colour palate of brown and green suggest environment, sustainability, recycled and from the earth while the red accents add a touch of urban brightness and edge. For the complete branding concept, see Appendix 7. Branding will be used on product packaging, transport vehicles and in market outlets both with the product and on the coffee ground collection vessels. In addition to the branding suite and packaging content and design, the IA team has also delivered an outline template for the Mushroom City website and Facebook, Twitter, Tumbler and Pinterest pages.

Website
It was important to have an organic feel to the website in line with the overall branding, with eco friendly design elements. The key functions of the website were to generate sales, promote the business and inform people about the possibilities of up-cycling coffee waste. In order to generate more traffic to the website through search engine optimisation, we would encourage attention to the following issues when building the site: Effective title tags Keyword rich text Additional articles Social sharing buttons

We incorporated all our design elements around the necessary functionality required of a site of this nature and included pages for: Shop page for people to select product and proceed to checkout

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Information page with lots of information about the product and the process Video how the box works, and the story behind it Recipe corner page with lots of yummy recipes for gourmet oyster mushrooms and other gown at home herbs and vegetables

Features page for testimonials and pictures people have sent in of their successful harvests

For website concept, see Appendix 7.

Social Media
Facebook, Twitter In todays world you cant escape the necessity of social media. Sharing images, special offers, information and keeping in contact with clients and customers is key to the spread of peoples awareness of the product. For Facebook and Twitter design suggestions, see Appendix 7. Tumblr A Tumblr site will use a combination of Mushroom City and re-blogged images to visually inspire people to grow their own food, reuse valuable food waste and up-cycle whenever possible. It will also encourage people to try out the growing kit by showing them how fun it can be. Pinterest Sharing inspiration, images and ideas with a combination of re-pinned images and own images pinned from the Mushroom City and Urban farm websites and the Tumblr page. This will drive more traffic to the site, creating backlinks and improving Google statistics.

Traditional / Offline Marketing

Opportunities for printed branding materials and offline marketing abound throughout the Mushroom City business model. Information packs and order forms can be sent out to schools, suitable companies and organizations to encourage people to try out the mushroom growing kit at home and in their office or school. Examples of how it could be used in a group context: A fun team exercise as part of a team building exercise, In a classroom as part of a grow and show class exercise for school children

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Flyers could be placed in coffee shops where the grounds were collected. Coffee retailers would benefit from showing their customers where their coffee waste goes to once they have finished making their coffees. Use of the existing Urban Farm brand would also be very useful for joint marketing purposes. Mushroom City would be marketed to Urban Farms followers as their new sustainable project. This would keep the Urban Farm ethos current and would create additional exposure and give added credibility to the Mushroom City brand. An annual event centred around all things mushroom could be put in motion to create more PR for the brand and the product. Dublin could have Irelands first Mushroom Festival. The grow kit could be marketed as the perfect gift for those foodie friends who have everything.

Media
The official Mushroom City launch should be accompanied by a press releases to all news desks, giving the opportunity for exposure on both print and television media. Articles written by Urban Farm and Mushroom City staff on the success of the Mushroom City Project should be submitted to newspaper editors and journalists for their supplements. Sample grow kits with instructions could be sent to every relevant journalist with an invitation to a rooftop launch party catered by a celebrity chef or gardening personality. The menu will be predominantly gourmet mushroom based with extras from the Urban Farm roof garden.

Use It: Retail, Education and Ancillary Applications for Mushroom City
Key Findings
There are possible retail nodes for gourmet mushroom kits outside of those participating in the substrate collection programme The educational opportunities around grow-your-own mushroom kits are varied and plentiful The staffing needs of Mushroom City provide and ideal platform for those looking to get back to work or up-skill in an urban horticultural setting Bulk growing for wholesale or direct-to market sales would be an additional revenue stream once grow-kit operations are successfully established

Key Recommendations
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Start small and steadily increase business operations Shops, cafes, garden centres, health food stores, whole foods type grocery stores and DIY stores should be targeted when developing retail partnerships

Schools will not only provide a place for education programmes, but also for further sales opportunities

Online sales will be important to the Mushroom City business model FAS and CE schemes will lower operational costs and increase corporate social responsibility of Mushroom City

Business Roll-Out
To ensure steady growth and best business practice, Mushrooms City should begin as the Dublin Urban Farm did as a small, community supported enterprise and build on each phase once its been established. Ideally, the operational phases would look like: Operations Phase 1 Establish base of operations Test grow kit mixture and production Produce the minimum number of grow kits to cover operational expenses

Operations Phase 2 Production of an increased number of grow kits to meet increased demand

Begin online sales operations

Establish educational programmes including workshops at the Dublin Urban Farm and in City Centre schools

Expand base of operations to add bulk growth

Operations Phase 3 Increased grow kit production Small-scale bulk growth for retail sale Expanded Educational Programmes - focus on sustainability nationwide Regular television programme in conjunction with the Dublin Urban Farm Transition to larger base of operations

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Operations - Full operations Full capacity growth kits Full capacity bulk growth Education Centre in former or existing base of operations

Retail
The suggested retail price for grow kits in retail nodes is 12.50. It will cost just over 2 to produce each kit. Ideally, there will be no mark-up or percentage taken by retail sellers associated with the coffee ground collection scheme unless Mushroom City is charging them for waste collection. In other retail nodes, a percentage of sales will need to be negotiated on a case by case basis. Grow kits will be sold at: Shops and cafes participating in the coffee ground programme Shops and cafes not participating in the coffee ground programme Dublin Urban Farm Organic food stores Garden centres DIY stores with garden components Health stores Online through the Mushroom City website Different packaging design using a similar branding theme should be used for online and shop sales to give each arm of the business the opportunity to develop separately. Sales targets should be set for markets outside of Ireland where grow kits are currently unavailable.

Education
One of the drivers of Mushroom City is to further spread the message behind the Dublin Urban Farm grow locally, sustainability, re-use and reduce waste - which will in turn drive the educational programmes associated with Mushroom City. Opportunities for education exist within the context of primary and secondary schools and in the larger Dublin community. In schools, students can watch their mushrooms grow and learn not only about the science but the ethos of growing their own food. The proliferation goal for Mushroom City should be one kit and

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information packet per Irish classroom over a three year period. In addition, a representative from Mushroom City could be regularly visiting classrooms to demonstrate other grow-at-home ideas and uses for up-cycled materials. From a business sense, the one kit per classroom model should drive sales among the teachers, parents and friends of the students. On a community level, the Dublin Urban Farm provides the ideal setting for workshops, demonstrations and topical discussions on the Mushroom City message. Regular and diverse programming will create awareness, educate community groups and drive sales.

Job Creation and Up-skilling

The scope for job creation and up-skilling through Mushroom City are vast. In the early stages, there will be two part-time staff members and one full-time manager. These roles could be filled by volunteers or through a community employment scheme. As the business grows, so will the need for staff. Up-skilling will come through mixing and growing techniques, operations management, customer relations, sales, marketing and product development. Currently in Ireland, there are several back-to work schemes and avenues for sourcing volunteers. FAS work placement scheme http://www.fas.ie/en/Employer/WPP/default.htm The FS Work Placement Programme provides 9 months work experience for unemployed people. The placements are for a minimum of 25 hours per week. The programme is available to people getting most social welfare payments, including Jobseeker's Allowance and Jobseeker's Benefit. The Work Placement Programme offers places for both graduates and unemployed people, with a number of these places reserved for those aged under 34. Employers in the public, private and voluntary sectors are all eligible to participate in the Work Placement Programme. The requirements for employers providing the work placements include: They must register with FS as a provider The maximum number of placements for each employer is 10 or 10% of the workforce, whichever is the lower The placement must be for a minimum of 25 hours The placement offered must not be in an area of work where there is an existing vacancy

National Internship Scheme 23

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employment/unemployment_and_redundancy/employment_sup port_schemes/national_internship_scheme.html The new National Internship Scheme is aimed at those who have been either getting an unemployment payment or signing for credits for at least 3 months. Participants will be offered a placement of between 6 and 9 months with host organisations, either in the public sector, the private sector or the community and voluntary sector. Participants will keep their social welfare payment and will get an extra 50 per week. They will also keep any secondary benefits that they have when taking up an internship. The Minister for Social Protection, Joan Burton, in 2011 is quoted to have said. The Scheme will ensure that people can enhance their current skills and develop new ones. It will provide a real alternative to people who find themselves without work. It will also give young people the opportunity to gain valuable experience as they move between study and the beginning of their working lives. Internships are a recognised method, in a number of countries, for giving young people their first step into the labour market. For example in Brussels and the US, there have very successful internship schemes which give young people a real start in their careers. Minister Burton called on all employers and organisations across the private, public and community and voluntary sectors to actively participate in the National Internship Scheme and offer quality worthwhile internship opportunities. Volunteering Volunteers could be sourced through:

Social Media Farming/Botanical Colleges Open Days at the Dublin Urban Garden Network of friends and community Volunteer Ireland Centres in Dublin

Volunteer Ireland: http://www.volunteer.ie/ Volunteer Ireland is the national volunteer development agency and a support body for all local Volunteer Centres in Ireland. Volunteers can be sourced through their vast database and opportunities can be advertised on their website.

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Ancillary Applications
To add to the retail side of the operation, Mushroom City could eventually commence bulk growing of oyster and other gourmet mushrooms in coffee ground substrate. Mushrooms will be sold directly to restaurants and markets like Fallon & Byrne in Dublin. Bulk growing will require a large space and more staff hours as well as tighter climate controls at the grow site. The most important facet of this programme will be consistency. Without a constant and steady supply of the gourmet mushrooms, the bulk grow operation will risk losing customers. Mushroom Week is a concept that could not only drive sales, but awareness and education around the Mushroom City message of sustainability, sourcing food locally, growing at home and re-using/up- cycling. A week-long programme of mushrooms cultivation, cooking and information could be devised and grow over the years to a similar popularity as Strawberry Week in Ireland. Mushroom Week could evolve from a one-day annual Mushroom Festival.

Conclusion
Mushroom City is not only a viable business concept, but a powerful tool for furthering the grow-at- home movement that is building in Ireland and around the world. With careful preparation and attention to detail, much of which has been researched in this report, Mushroom City will be a successful commercial enterprise with strong community value and educational reach. By starting small with grow-kits and building to an international retail and online kit seller as well as a bulk gourmet mushroom provider, this Irish business could be as big of a player if not bigger than its market counterparts in the United States, England and the Netherlands.

25

Bibliography
Freshforkids.com, http://www.freshforkids.com.au/veg_pages/mushroom/mushroom.html Fungi Futures, http://www.fungi-futures.co.uk/how-do-we-turn-waste-coffee-into-gourmet- mushrooms/ Mycelia Mushroom Spawn Laboratory, http://www.mycelia.be/en/mycelium-for-professionals/spawn- storage-instructions WasteLessLiveMore.com, http://www.wastelesslivemore.com/blog/growing-mushrooms-from-

coffee-waste/

26

Appendices
Appendix 1: Start-up Expenses *
Shelving: up-cycled materials or second hand shelving will be used. Mixing vessels (up-cycled) Other mixing equipment (scoops, hoses, weighing scales, atomizers, etc.) Laptop Printer Glue gun Website build Total Cold Room Second Hand Transport options Cargo Trike Option 2 Cargo Trike Option 2 VW Transporter Van - - 500.00 500.00 75.00 90.00 1,500.00 2,665.00 1,500.00 1,200.00 6,700.00 10,000.00

All costs are estimates only based in some cased on internet research, others on quotes and others * on general conversations with service providers

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Appendix 2: Monthly Operation Costs*

Quan tity Premises Rent per month based on 2000 sq foot Electricity Water (m ) *1.99/cubic metre, estimated usage = 100m/day 5 day week Broadband and telephone Insurance Equipment/Materials (operations) Tyvec clean suit (7.90/suit) Latex gloves 100 per unit Shoe covers 200 per unit Mouth Mask 50 per unit Printer Paper 1 x ream Refuse Collection recycling refuse bag & tag per unit (2.00 + 80c) general refuse bag & tag per unit (2.20 + 50c) Materials for substrate collection Containers for coffee grounds for retail branches (upcycled) Plastic bags for coffee grounds (biodegradable, 20 ltr.) 51.25/case of 450 Staffing Staff (p/t, 15hours/week, 9/hour) (10.75% employer's PRSI/PAYE) Manager (f/t, 35 hours/week, 12/hour) (10.75% employer's PRSI/PAYE) Marketing/branding Printing Online presence maintenance (manager) Total monthly expenses (without Kit materials) Monthly Kit Sales required to break even Equipment/Materials (kits) Mushroom spawn(based in .2kg/kit) Boxes per 1000 units Bags Seeds Seed envelopes (based on 1000 units purchased, .03/unit) Glue (case = 90) Stickers Materials for 1 grow kit
3

Cost 2,500.00 220.00 3.98 49.99 50.00 79.90 22.22 9.20 67.76 5.00 56.00 54.00 - 22.78 1,196.10 1,705.55 100.00 - 6,140.76 596 0.99 0.07 0.51 0.10 0.03 0.02 0.56 2.28

1 1 2 1 1 10 100 200 8 1 20 20 200 2 1 1 .2kg 1 1 20 1 1 2

28

 Transport costs (if using transporter van) Tax per year Insurance per year Fuel per year based on 40mpg per month Maintenance mot 70 service 200 Transport costs (if using bicycles) Maintenance and repair of 2 cargo trikes All costs are estimates only based in some cased on internet research, others on * quotes and others on general conversations with service providers

1 1 1 1 1

325.00 750.00 200.00 270.00 40.00

Sources for Figures: Operations clean products http://www.mycelia.be/en/sales-products/e/category/lab-supplies/cleanroom-outfits Broadand and phone line http://digiweb.ie/home/bundles/fibre Seed envelopes: https://www.worldofenvelopes.com/acatalog/brown-62x94-coloured-envelopes.html#aB0262

Refuse sacs for grounds http://www.down2earthmaterials.ie/our-products/

Seeds http://www.molesseeds.co.uk/flower_and_vegetable_seed_store_uk/zzveg_data.pdf http://www.vegetableseeds.ie/ParsleyseedsPlainLeaved.htm Mycellium https://mailattachment.googleusercontent.com/attachment/u/0/?ui=2&ik=ad09f961dc&view=att&th=13f3e4b2178155 ed&attid=0.1&disp=inline&realattid=c758d60ba8ac00f1_0.1&safe=1&zw&saduie=AG9B_P9hrCP9KKJ2J XxrvlzgxADU&sadet=1372081509228&sads=f5HtoYQk_ruWjWHPGsLAKbXgHQg

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Appendix3: Grant Opportunities

Green Enterprise Grant 2013

http://www.epa.ie/pubs/reports/research/termsandconditions/TechDesc_GreenEnterprise_2 013.pdf
Submission Deadline: Tuesday 9th July 2013 Up to 75% co-funding of eligible costs, not to exceed 60,000 Published in 2012 the document A Resource Opportunity - Waste Management Policy in Ireland stresses the environmental and economic benefits of better waste management. One of the preferable approaches is the reuse of products for which an owner has no further use, but which could be prepared for reuse by a new owner. This includes for example discarded items, such as coffee grounds. Environment + LIFE Program Grant

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/funding/lifeplus.htm
Submission Deadline: 25 JUNE 2013 Up to 50% EU co-funding for projects in varying categories including: Urban environment: to contribute to improving the environmental performance of Europe's urban areas Natural resources and waste: to develop and implement policies designed to ensure sustainable management of natural resources and wastes, and to improve the environmental performances of products, sustainable production and consumption patterns, waste prevention, recovery and recycling. To contribute to the effective implementation of the thematic strategy on the prevention and recycling of waste1 Eco Innovation Grant
1 2

From LIFE + call for submissions Note: Enterprise Ireland customers are not eligible for City Enterprise Board funding.

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http://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/apply-funds/call-proposal/index_en.htm
Submission Deadline: 5 Sept Up to 50% co-finding for eligible expenses Applications for eco-innovative projects in different sectors which aim at the prevention or reduction of environmental impacts or which contribute to the optimal use of resources. Enterprise Board Feasibility Study/ Innovation Grant

http://www.dceb.ie/financial-assistance/types-of-grants
Multiple application deadlines Up to 50% co-funding for eligible costs, not to exceed 7,500 (ex. VAT)

Enterprise Board Priming Grant Multiple application deadlines Up to 50% co-funding for eligible costs, average award 15,000 (ex. VAT) To be used for salary and capital investment for businesses less than 18 months in existence

Industry Research and Development Group

http://www.irdg.ie/energy-environmental-funding-programmes/
Various categories of initiatives. 2 Examples of what is available

1. Eco-Label Funding

http://www.irdg.ie/eco-label-initiative/
Rolling application deadline Under the Eco-label Initiative, companies can apply to Enterprise Ireland2 for support towards the cost of testing and hiring a consultant to assist in the validation and application for an Eco-label for a particular product. (IRDG website) 2. EPAs Cleaner Greener Production Programme (CGPP)

Note: Enterprise Ireland customers are not eligible for City Enterprise Board funding.

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http://www.irdg.ie/cleaner-greener-production-programmer-cgpp/
Rolling application deadline Up to 75% funding for eligible expenses not to exceed 25,000 This is a grant scheme designed by the Environmental Protection Agency to encourage Irish organisations to implement cleaner greener practices. The application of this programme is centred around environmental strategies in processes, products and services that increase overall efficiency and reduce risks to humans and the environment, for example: Production processes: conserving raw materials and energy, eliminating toxic raw materials and reducing the quantity and toxicity of all emissions and wastes Products: reducing negative impacts along the life cycle of a product, from raw materials extraction to its ultimate disposal Services: encouraging and supporting the development of higher environmental performance in the service sector, by incorporating environmental concerns into designing and delivering services Eco-Design: developing new products with reduced environmental impact on a life cycle basis (from raw material sourcing, through production and use, to end of life burdens). Eco-Design is also intended to embrace such concepts as improved recyclability, ease of repair and re-use, and improved durability. (IRDG website)

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Appendix 4 Coffee Partnership Options and Findings

The figures we received are based on summer coffee consumption with figures increasing during the winter months. Businesses of focus: Insomnia Abbey Street, D1: average of 34kg per week Starbucks College Green, D2: average of 60kg per week Costa Coffee College Green, D2: average of 50kg per week Spar (Insomnia) Abbey Street, D1: average of 20kg per week McDonalds Jervis Street, D1: average of 20kg per week The aggregate coffee used between this sample of 5 businesses comes to 184kg per week. It must be noted at this stage that these figures do not take into account wasted fresh coffee beans. Figures reflect the amount of coffee bean bags used per week and not the amount of used grounds going to waste disposal. Insomnia

There are 24 Insomnia coffee shops currently in Dublin City Centre with Spar being the main partnership (12 Spar outlets in Dublin with Insomnia stands). There are 69 Insomnia locations nationally.

12 x 34kg=408kg per week average from Insomnia coffee shops 12 x 20kg= 240kg per week average from Spar outlets with Insomnia stands Total of 648kg per week average

Contact Details: Insomnia Head Office, 4 St. Stephens Green, Dublin 2, Ireland. Email: info@insomnia.ie Phone: 01-6719662 Starbucks

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There are 5 Starbucks coffee shops currently in Dublin City Centre. There are 17 locations nationally. 5 x 60kg= 300kg per week average

Contact Details: Starbucks College Green, 1 College Green, Dublin 2 01-6750638 Costa Coffee

There are 3 Costa Coffee shops currently in Dublin City Centre. There are 17 locations nationally. 3 x 50kg=150kg per week average

Contact Details: Costa Coffee, 3 College Green, Dublin 2 01- 897 2192 McDonald's

There are 5 McDonald's restaurants currently in Dublin City Centre. There are 62 locations nationally. 5 x 20kg= 100kg per week average

Contact Details: McDonald's Restaurants of Ireland, 7 Richview Office Park, Clonskeagh, Dublin 14. 01-2080020 info@ie.mcd.com

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Appendix 5: Grow Kit Box Design

Front: Perforation with the mushroom sticker Back: Mushroom recipe Side A: Growing kit content and growing instructions Side B: Facts about mushroom/coffee Top: Mushroom city stamp/Logo Bottom: Nothing

Growing kit content and instruction: Kit is made up 1 poly sac containing live mycelium of oyster mushroom (Pleurotis spp.) in 1kg of coffee ground substrate; additional vegetable/herb seeds for cultivation. Instructions: 1. Place kit in a partially shaded and well ventilated place. 2. Open flap along perforated line and make a + incision of 3X5in on the poly sac. 3. Soak sac in water overnight and place back in the carton. 4. Mist twice a day, and watch your mushroom bloom. 5. First harvest ready between 10 and 14 days. Growth kit produces at least two harvests of about 1 1/2 lb. Use remnant coffee ground to cultivate provided vegetable/herb seeds. Visit www.mushroomcity.ie for detailed explanation and recipes. Facts about mushrooms: Mushrooms are fungi; fungi are neither plants nor animals. They grow all year round. They are a good source of dietary fibre. They are rich in potassium, zinc and selenium; and most of the B group vitamins. 100g of mushroom contain no fat and between 35-100 kJ of energy. http://www.freshforkids.com.au/veg_pages/mushroom/mushroom.html Facts about coffee and coffee ground: Coffee is the worlds most important beverage and second-largest traded commodity next to oil Columbia and Brazil produce 40% of the worlds coffee.

35

The word cappuccino comes from the resemblance of the drink to the clothing of the Capuchin monks. Coffee ground can be used as plant food as they add nutrient to the soil. Only 1% of ground coffee is consumed, the rest is regarded as waste and thrown away.

Quiz and competitions: (Coming up) Idea behind the quiz is series of interesting and fun fact questions that will lead people back to the website. This is such that people will go to the website to answer the question thereby competing for prizes. Other ideas: Ask people to upload picture of their mushrooms, owner of best grown mushroom per quarter wins a prize.

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Appendix 6: Market Research Results

In order to ascertain whether there would be an interest in this product we undertook a focused approach to our market research. Over the space of a day we targeted the patrons of 2 of the large supermarket chains in the Dublin 2 area. We asked passers by two simple questions: 1: Would you buy this product? 2: What do you think of the packaging? We approached over 100 people and had lots of feedback. We found that those who stopped to speak with us: 1: Would you buy this product? 78% would buy the product as they felt the idea of having cheap and readily available gourmet mushrooms was a great idea. Many people felt it was a healthy option. 9% wouldnt buy the product as they either did not eat mushrooms or were squeamish of the thought of mushrooms growing in their home. 3% were not responsive to the product idea and had no feed back

2: What do you think of the packaging? 85% had a positive response when they were shown a sample photograph of the product. They approved of: The eco friendly packaging. They liked the fact it used recycled materials. The range of colours used in the colour pallet. The selected typeface and felt it assisted the overall feel of the product. The overall look and felt that it was a quality product They had very positive feedback about the branding as it left a lasting impression with them. 9% had no response either way 6% had negative feedback: Size: as they felt it was too big for some kitchens Colour: they felt that the product wouldnt pop off the shelf at them Clarity of message: They were unsure what the product was of first glance.

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 Didnt like the look of the product in general.

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Appendix 7: Branding

Mushroom City basic logo

Mushroom City extended logo

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 Mushroom City branding colour palate and fonts

Mushroom City cargo trike with branding

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 Stamp for seed pack

Seed pack concept

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Mushroom City website homepage concept 1

42


Mushroom City website homepage concept 2

43


Mushroom City about page concept

44


Dublin Urban Farm website rebrand concept

45


Mushroom City Facebook concept

46


Mushroom City Twitter concept

47


Mushroom City Pinterest concept

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Appendix 8: Ideas Board

Charging for collection Large outlets have existing waste management agreements with companies like Greenstar. They charge by the collection and not by the weight of the collection. This leads to the assumption that they would be slow if not against paying for a second waste collection service which is unnecessary in the first place. A possible way to generate an income from the substrate collection from them would be that they display the final product in store and provide fridge space for limited amounts of stock. It costs them nothing except counter space and links them with an eco friendly brand that up cycles their waste. Selling misters next to the grow kits : Peripheral product lines around the grow kits could be explored.; An example of this would be spray bottles for the misting of the substrate while on the window sill of the customers kitchen. Re: 100ml Clear atomiser bottles Product Name: 100ml clear spray bottle

Product photo
http://img.vip.alib

View Larger Photo

Model Number:

Q7829 PET Material

Product Details:

100ml sample / logo printing available

Unit Price:

USD 0.3/Sets based on quantity 1000.0 Sets

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Other Information Quotation Valid Till: 2013-07-17 Lead Time: generally about 7-8 weeks pls feel free to contact me: export5@queenspack.com Rebecca Queens Packaging Co.,Ltd Add.: No. 51, 188# MaoTing Road, Shanghai 201611, China Message to Buyer: Customer Service: 0086 159 2180 6677 (24hours) Tel 0086 21 34290571*128 Fax 0086 21 34290572 Email:export5@queenspack.com Web:www.queenspack.com Transport Options

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Recipes Different ideas for interesting recipes around the use of oyster mushrooms as an ingredient.

Mushroom Recipes:

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Recipe option:1 (kids) Mushroom Omelette (Total prep and cooking time: 8-10 min) 2 tablespoons butter, divided 4 ounces sliced mushrooms 1/4 teaspoon (each) salt, pepper and shredded cheese 4 eggs, beaten

1. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, salt, and pepper and saut 3 to 5 minutes, or until mushrooms are golden; remove from pan and set aside. 2. Melt remaining butter in pan, add eggs and stir gently for 1 minute; leave egg to set up for 1 to 2 minutes. Top eggs with half the mushroom mixture, sprinkle with swiss cheese, and fold in half. Top with remaining mushroom mixture and serve immediately. Http://www.mrfood.com/Eggs/Overstuffed-Mushroom-Omelet Recipe option 2: (kids/Adults) Oyster mushroom chips (Total prep and cooking time 25-30min) pound of fresh oyster mushrooms Drizzle of Olive Oil Sea Salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste 1. Pre-heat oven to 425F 2. Peel off each piece of mushroom from the stalk and separate them into individual petals. Place them in a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil and season liberally with salt and pepper. 3. Arrange gill-side up in 2 baking sheets side by side to allow the mushrooms to cook well and for the edges to crisp up.

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4. Roast in oven for 15-20 minutes. They will shrink up considerably. 6. Take them out of the oven and allow them to cool off a bit for about 2 minutes and scrape them off the baking sheet using a spatula. It is possible to reheat them at 400F for about 5-8 minutes more if it will not be consumed immediately. Http://karma-free-cooking.com/2010/11/12/oyster%C2%A0mushrooms%C2%A0chips/ Recipe option 3: (Adults) Oyster mushroom, leek and spinach risotto (Total time to prep and cook 20 min) 3 tablespoons fish sauce 1 tablespoon each of rice vinegar, minced fresh lemon and minced fresh ginger 1/2 teaspoon sugar (to add taste) 2 teaspoons dark sesame oil 3 cups oyster mushrooms, roughly chopped if large 1 scallion, thinly sliced, for garnish 2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted, for garnish Stir together the fish sauce, rice vinegar, and sugar in a small bowl and set aside. Put the sesame oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the lemongrass and ginger and stir-fry for about 30 seconds (it will smell heavenly). Add the mushrooms and stir-fry until slightly softened, 3 or 4 minutes. You want them still moist and not browned. 3. Add the sauce and stir-fry until absorbed, 30 seconds or so. Garnish with the scallion and sesame seeds and serve. 1. 2. http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/mushroomleekandspina_85579

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