Hello, my friends, I hope everything is going well. I would like to tell you how I started mushroom growing and a mushroom brand called Mr. Butika which is well known in mushroom growing and spawn production in Uganda with $22 input. And how far we have moved plus our vision.
With skills in how to grow mushrooms and make mushroom spawns, I spent more than two years trying to find a place to grow mushrooms and the money to get me started. I would neither find capital nor a place to start from. My hope had almost vanished when the lockdown came.
I almost gave up on mushroom growing and any business now looking for a job. I almost got a job but the lockdown came and changed everything. All my dreams of ever starting a business were gone.
The lockdown was more of a blessing in disguise for me. At the start of the lockdown, I met with an old friend of mine called Ayembele Philemon who had tried and failed in mushroom growing years before at his home. When reached home I realized that they tried Downing mushroom but failed on the way because of proper guidance.
To cut the long story short, we decided to work together as I had the skills and he had the space and some of the equipment. There was one thing missing capital. Raising capital is one of the major reasons why most African businesses do not get started but for me, I didn't see this as a big change. There was no reason for me to give an excuse, I had to use my brain to find money and other things that can cut the cost of production. I made a budget of 80,000 Ugx which is approximately $22.
As I was looking for the money, I started looking around for plant remains like beans pods and maize Kobe and firewood. In my mind, I knew that I would get them for free from people around me who didn't need them.
After 1 week, I hard corrected everything I needed to start.
Because of the lockdown, I had very many people to work with. We started our first production of 100 mushroom gardens.
Currently, we have a mushroom laboratory although it is not well equipped, and we have 1000 mushroom gardens.
The business employs 10 unemployed youths including 2 women who are housewives and dependents. Has also supported our growers and other mushroom farmers in different parts of the country.
We are not looking for a lot of money but aiming at creating employment and support for unemployed youth and society.
We would like to expand our ideas to very many fortunate people but we are facing some challenges.
Lack of laboratory equipment for seed production.
Lack of equipment for value addition and post-harvest handling. This will help us to expand in production as we shall create several growers who have a market for the output.
The rest of the challenges can be put forward after working on and finishing those two major changes.
Thanks
Battle Billy Jackson.