Good news for mycology fans: Two Asia-based companies are teaming up to build a massive fungi-growing warehouse in Houston that will specialize in enoki, a popular but rare type of edible mushroom.ư
The facility, a joint project between Singapore Finc and China’s Huayuan Food Group, will be the first “smart factory” for edible mushrooms in the United States, according to Vegconomist, a vegan business magazine.
Construction on the 258,000-square-foot factory located at 11155 Westpark Drive is expected to begin later this year and be completed sometime in 2024. The factory will use a chemical-free, eco-friendly soilless method to produce up to 50 tons of American enoki mushrooms each day, representatives told the Houston Business Journal.
The market for specialty mushrooms has been growing steadily in the U.S. in recent years, according to reports from both U.S. Department of Agriculture and Market Data Forecast. A March 2023 report from MDF showed the American edible mushroom market to be worth nearly $12 billion, and it’s expected to reach more than $20 billion by 2028.
However, most American retailers depend on imported mushrooms. Supply chain issues and other barriers have caused the average price of specialty mushrooms to rise more than 50 cents per pound between 2021 and 2022, according to Megan Fan Munce at the Houston Chronicle.
Singapore Finc is a subsidiary of Shanghai Finc Biotechnology, which pioneered the growth of specialty mushrooms in factories in China. Huayuan Food Group is one of the largest brand operators in the U.S. Asian food market. Finc also distributes to grocery stores through the brand name Freshmore. Officials from both companies said the Houston factory will help decrease U.S. dependence on mushroom imports and ultimately help lower prices, according to Vegconomist.
Enoki are small, white mushrooms with long stems that are used widely in East Asian cooking. They grow naturally in China, Korea, and Japan and are prized for their very mild flavor and toothy, chewy texture.
According to chron.com. Source of photos: internet
