93: The Mushroom Revolution with Eric Jong, Co-founder at Gro-cycle

Sustainable: The Podcast

Eric Jong from Grocycle shares:

• How the idea for the first UK urban mushroom farm came about
• Why Grocycle use online courses to teach others how to grow mushrooms
• The multiple revenue streams available to businesses that want to make an impact
• Why running your own business is not for the faint-hearted
• The difference between small scale production and commercial scale production in terms of cost

After finishing his MSc in Business Studies in Maastricht, The Netherlands, Eric went to work for two of the world’s largest energy companies. After 6 years of office life both Eric and his wife Zoe decided that this lifestyle didn’t suit them anymore and took the decision to up sticks and travel for a while.

On the trip they visited the permaculture research institute in Australia and helped out on several organic farms. Now fascinated by small scale food production they then ended up doing a full growing season on an organic farm in the Brecon Beacons.

Having become seriously interested in food production Eric and Zoe went and studied sustainable horticulture at Schumacher College in 2011. It was here that Eric crossed paths with Adam. They decided to team up and the project GroCycle was born.