Rs 250 investment, Rs 90 lakh annual revenue. How Kerala woman turned mushroom farming on her balcony into a thriving business

Sometimes, you do not need to invest a huge amount of money to build a successful business. It is the small steps that matter, alongside having the passion to turn a simple idea into a profitable venture. The story of Shije, a Kerala-based entrepreneur, shows something similar. As a homemaker, Shije would get bored at home with her husband gone to work and her children at school. So, she decided to grow mushrooms on her balcony. But little did she know that the small experiment would turn out to be a Rs 90 lakh business.

Kerala couple’s mushroom business launch

Shije, 57, and her husband, Thankachan, 67, both belong to an agricultural background, as per a report by Startuppedia. In 2007, they started experimenting with oyster mushroom cultivation through trial and error with an investment of only Rs 250 for mushroom beds and spawn.



In 2008, the couple gained experience, investing about Rs 50,000 to set up 600 mushroom beds on their agricultural land. A year later, Shije and her husband launched Coon Fresh and started selling fresh mushrooms, spawn, and mushroom-based products, such as mushroom momos, mushroom cutlets, sandwiches, bread rolls, pickles, chutney powder, millet payasam, and fortified cake.

How Kerala couple’s mushroom business boomed

Coon Fresh had a humble beginning in the initial 3-4 months, producing about Rs. 2000-5000 per month. Slowly and gradually, the brand started gaining traction, and by 2009, the business was making Rs 3 lakh.

From 5 mushroom beds, it has become 6000 beds, turning into a bio-high-tech mushroom farm, producing 12 tons of mushrooms annually. The farm is also equipped with biodiversity, bioprocessing, biocontrol, and bioefficiency.

As per Shije, their annual revenue is now around Rs 80-90 lakh, but she and her husband are planning to double it to Rs 1.6 crore. Apart from mushroom cultivation, Coon Fresh also runs training programs for college students and farmers, charging Rs. 500 for couples and Rs. 3000 for groups of 6 or more. The brand has trained about 10,000 people so far.