Adding mushrooms to avocados has proved a recipe for success for a Northland couple.

Greg Rathbun and Tann Duangprasit originally purchased an existing avocado orchard in Maungatapere, near Whangarei. 

They ran the orchard together, but a few sparks used to fly. “We both wanted to be boss,” laughs Greg.

 Growing up in Thailand, Tann was a “bit of a forager”, so her move to mushrooms was somewhat of a natural progression for her.

Pre-Covid, growing mushrooms had been more of a hobby as the pair concentrated on the Avocados.

Greg and Tann came to the 11ha property from Auckland, where he worked as an accountant. seven years ago.

Tann says she started out three years ago with no real mushroom-growing equipment.

“It was a real number eight wire approach.”

Mushroom Machinery

While Greg says he was “waiting for the latest fad to pass”, Tann went ahead and bought machinery from Thailand. 

She grows oyster, shiitake, enoki, tawaka and lion’s mane mushrooms inside three shipping containers on the property.

Starting out at a local market in Whangarei, Tann says she “sold everything”.

She conducted “lots of experiments” along the way, but stresses she always wanted to “initiate the way they grow naturally”.

This includes growing them in a “mushroom mulch” of woodchips and wheat bran.

They start life in a petri dish, with spawn propagated from a single mushroom.

Tann says the spawn is moved into sterilised bags containing the mulch, before heading into a resting room and ultimately a growing room.

There are only limited temperature control, with the mushrooms thriving in the natural warmth of the shipping containers.

Contrary to popular belief, Tann says mushrooms also need some natural light to grow successfully.

“You could grow them on a windowsill.”

Tann Duangprasit explaining how mushroom growing works.

Tann says the mushrooms, which grow all-year round, have important medicinal qualities.

Last year, Maungatapere Mushrooms struck Gold at Outstanding New Zealand Food Producer Awards.

The other branch of the business, Avos to Go, has been running for 2 seasons now and involves a group of family-owned orchards all based around Whatitiri mountain.  Avos to Go grow and deliver avocadoes to households, schools and restaurants around the country.

“Our orchards are of a similar size, and we all have the same way of thinking,” says Greg.

He says that the joint venture avoids dealing with any other party when it comes to selling the fruit.

“We cut out the middleman.”

Greg says the “big players” in the avocado industry grow chiefly for the export market, with local consumers missing out on quality fruit.

Harvasting on the mountain can go for 11 months of the year, from June to April.

Much like the mushroom operation, Greg says the avocados were originally sold through markets and restaurants.

Over the last two years this has been extended to the online market.

Oyster, shiitake, enoki, tawaka and lion’s mane mushrooms are grown inside three shipping containers on the property.

“We pick to order,” says Greg. “There is no cool storage.”

He says the orders are “spread around” the collective growers to supply.

Home Delivery

Avos to Go also makes some deliveries locally around Whangarei.

Greg says they “did it hard” through wet weather over the past two years.

“Some orchards in the area were wiped out completely.”

On his own property, Greg says he likes to keep the trees small through pruning to make for easier harvesting.

He has about 1600 trees, almost all the popular hass variety.

While half his harvest goes towards Avos to Go, the balance is exported via a regional packhouse.

Greg says most is bound for markets in Australia and Asia.

However, thanks to Avos to Go, he says the same quality of fruit is sent around the country here.

He says the group pick on each other’s properties, while also offering support and advice to their colleagues.

Greg laughs that he did have a packhouse on the property. “But I got kicked out for the mushrooms.”

Avos to Go now uses a “big garage” on another associated property as its headquarters.

Greg says the fruit is ready to pick when the stem thickens and passes the maturity test for oil content.

“There’s also the home taste test.”

He recommends consumers “buy them green” and ripen the old-fashioned way on the windowsill or in a fruit bowl.

“Best not to place them in direct sunlight.”

Once ripe, Greg recommends avocados be eaten within two days.

Ripened avocados can be kept in the fridge for a week.

Greg says freezing the fruit can also be done quite easily, increasing their longevity to 4-6 months.

Along with its direct delivery via online ordering, he says Avos to Go also works with a number of schools around the country.

“We offer discounted rates for orders which the schools can then on-sell as a healthy fund raiser.

Back on the home property, Greg and Tann are even dabbling with bananas.

“They are for home use at the moment,” he says. “Watch this space.”