Jude Horrill has been farming oyster and shitake mushrooms for the past eight years with her partner Brent Williams at Ohau Gourmet Mushrooms. Photo: supplied
Levin mushroom farmers Jude Horrill and Brent Williams have produced a special blend of coffee they say might come with health benefits.
The couple who left their corporate jobs in IT and change management overseas for a quieter life in the country are branching out into powdered supplements.
Their company Ohau Gourmet Mushrooms has produced oyster and shiitake mushrooms for the past eight years in Horowhenua.
Horrill said it's been a brilliant journey as they've worked for nearly a decade to build up their organic permaculture business, selling fresh produce at farmers markets.
Recently, with the cost of living crisis biting, they scratched their heads for ways to revamp their business and grow sales.
That's when the brain boosting benefits of an exotic range of mushrooms called lion's mane and cordyceps warranted a closer look.
The couple are accustomed to selling at farmers markets and food fairs. Photo: supplied
They worked to find a reliable source of the mushroom extracts which can't be grown in New Zealand.
"So we have a food import license and we're importing from a very high quality producer," Horrill said.
"We've just launched our mushroom coffee with lion's mane and cordyceps which is a wonderful way of having your functional mushrooms in your daily brew."
Some studies have suggested the drink, which can be brewed at home, may lead to improved brain function and clear away brain fog.
Horrill said they also offer a range of powdered organic mushroom extracts of lion's mane, reishi, and chaga for therapeutic uses.
Levin company Ohau Gourmet Mushrooms is branching out into a health supplement range and mushroom boosted coffee. Photo: supplied
"We're very big into our functional foods which provide health benefits other than straight nutrition," she said.
"That means how they've been processed. For example probiotics, which is a kimchee, which we make in our beautiful pickled oyster mushroom kimchee."
And alongside the burgeoning health supplement side of their operation, pickled foods are keeping the couple busy in their commercial kitchen.
"There's pickled oyster mushrooms and an oyster mushroom risotto flavoured with black garlic," she said.
"We also ferment quince which we grow in our orchard. And the flavours added are gochugaru, the South Korean the chilli flakes, and white pepper - that gives a lovely mouth warmth. Then there's the lovely spices, cinnamon, cardamon and ginger."
They won a silver medal for their kimchee at last year's Outstanding Food Producer awards and another silver for their mushroom risotto at the Artisan Awards.
And while they're heartened by the increasing demand for supplements, the business is standing by one of its early favourites. That's the range of grow your own oyster mushroom kits.
