Verah Mburugu, a resident of Rimpa in Kiserian, Kajiado County, made the bold decision to resign from her position as a marketer at a prominent company in Uganda four years ago to pursue mushroom cultivation.
During her tenure as a marketer, she collaborated with three friends to establish a yoghurt business; however, this venture resulted in significant financial losses.
Subsequently, a friend unexpectedly suggested that Mburugu explore the possibility of farming mushrooms.
“I used my marketing and sales skills in this new field. For young people interested in business, I encourage them to start as brokers. This will make them understand where to source and sell the commodities.
“My friend said mushroom farming was profitable. I really needed money. I got a small plot for mushroom production in Kiserian,” she said.
Mburugu left her employment in 2019 to dedicate herself entirely to mushroom cultivation.
Regrettably, the subsequent year saw the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, which severely impacted her business.
Fortunately, the government provided assistance to Ms. Mburugu in the form of a Ksh 900,000 grant.
“I got a message on how the money would be wired to my bank account. I received the money a week later and immediately revived the project,” she says.
Mburugu built a structure for producing mushrooms, to prevent their destruction by sunlight and heat.
“Mushroom will only grow in an environment that has fungi. We put the fungi on cotton or maize husks. We then clean the material used in growing the mushrooms,” she added
The waste used to induce the fungi is steamed to remove impurities.
“Seven drums are used to steam the husks for about six hours. We engage the help of seven workers who have different roles to play. The water is placed at the bottom of the drums and the husks in the middle
“The spores are in plenty two to three weeks later. With the fungi spreading, we place the bags on shelves to monitor the mushroom growth. When the fungi have spread as required, we start sprinkling a small amount of water on the bags,” she stated.
Mburugu urged young people to start growing mushrooms and not wait for office jobs as these may never come.
She sells at least 15 kilogrammes of mushrooms daily as well as cotton husks and mushroom seeds.
“I have given my mother the responsibility of distributing the mushrooms to shops in Nairobi. My workers begin packing the mushrooms around 4pm daily. I have discovered that dried mushrooms have a shelf-life of up to two years,” she said.