India: Turning a home experiment into a fully fledged business -

A small business does not always begin with a large investment. Sometimes, a simple idea can be the beginning of something much bigger. For Kerala-based Shije Thankachan, mushroom cultivation started as a way to keep herself busy at home while her husband was at work and her children were at school.

Nearly two decades later, she and her husband, T.J. Thankachan runs Coon Fresh, a mushroom farming business. It has now expanded into cultivation, spawn production and value-added food products. According to Intend-To Marketing, the business now earns an annual revenue of around Rs 80 lakh to Rs 90 lakh.

Shije began experimenting with mushroom cultivation in 2007 after moving to a village near Kochi. With her husband away at work and her children at school, she wanted to find something productive to do during the day. Coming from an agricultural family, she decided to try growing oyster mushrooms. The first experiment was small, with mushroom beds set up on the family’s balcony. The couple used paddy straw as the growing medium and continued the trial for several months. The results encouraged them to consider turning the activity into a business. Shije reportedly started with Rs 250 for mushroom beds and spawn.

After the initial trial, the family decided to expand. According to Startup Pedia, they invested around Rs 1 lakh in a mushroom farm with space for 600 beds.