2 minute read
Mountaintop Mushrooms
Young couple seek support to continue farming
Three years ago, young Perth couple Kat Atkinson and Dan Tibbett packed up their busy city life in Perth, WA, and travelled across country to the Sunshine Coast hinterland. They haven’t looked back since starting their mushroom farm, Mountaintop Mushrooms.
Seeking a lifestyle change and chasing a desire to produce rather than consume, the young couple were drawn to the beautiful lush region. Being a relatively new and niche industry, they weren’tsure what to expect but as their passion grew, so did their popularity and their production has grown considerably over the past 18 months.
Kat and Dan started their farm with very little but determination and curiosity has resulted in their products - which are not only tasty, but stunning to look at – being extremely well received. To their knowledge, they are the only farm on the Sunshine Coast growing a variety of oyster, shitake and lion’s mane mushrooms. They supply a number of local restaurants, as well as directly to the public.
On top of both working part-time jobs, as the demand to supply produce grows so does the need to farm, which means they need to upgrade their systems to keep up. They are calling on the support of the community to help them continue the successful function of their farm.
“Choosing to become a farmer is not an easy decision,” Kat said.
“You know you’re faced with hard work, long hours and minimal income but for us it was more a calling of the heart - we were drawn to grow organic, nutritious food and medicine.
“It’s something we hope to continue to do with the support of our community.”
Kat and Dan are currently running a campaign through Pozible. You can make a donation or pledge support by purchasing their products, which include various grow-your-own starter kits, through to full day workshops. Their goal is to raise $10,000 by October 9 and, if successful, money raised will go directly to upgrading their systems to continue to provide the region with their unique products.
“We’ve put everything into the farm, ensuring we use the most organic methods available and we really want to continue to expand our varieties and growing techniques to continue to supply to the public,” Kat said.
“We’re also really passionate about educating others and have a number of workshops booked in for later this year”.
