Learn About the process: Hiratake Mushrooms
At Amara Mushrooms, we believe in living food — full of integrity, grown simply, and as close to its natural state as possible. That’s why we grow our mushrooms on locally sourced substrates, hydrate with UV-filtered rainwater, and rely on natural light right here in Denmark, Western Australia.
Growing mushrooms is part science, part art — and we embody both.
We don’t fight nature — we follow its lead. Our production process minimizes energy use, avoids single-use plastics, and brings you mushrooms that are nutrient-dense, rich in umami flavour, and grown with respect.
Behind all of our products is an extensive Food Safety Management System (FSMS), including written operating procedures, verification checklists, internal auditing, and validation through internal and third-party laboratory testing.
🌱 In the Lab
We start with carefully selected mycelium cultures chosen for vigor, climate adaptability, and fruiting quality. These cultures are propagated on agar and expanded into sterilized grain spawn — the “seed” for our mushrooms.
Our lab is equipped with medical-grade sterilization equipment to ensure purity at every stage. Producing high-quality spawn requires deep mycological expertise, precision, and strict procedural adherence.



🌾 Preparing the Substrate
Our substrate — made from chopped, non-GMO cereal straw — is pasteurized using a cold limewater bath. This method raises the pH, suppressing harmful organisms without the need for energy-intensive heat sterilization. The result is a more enzyme-rich substrate and a lower carbon footprint.
The calcium hydroxide naturally reacts with CO₂ in the air to form calcium carbonate — beneficial for healthy mushrooms — and water.
All substrate processing is monitored and recorded as part of our FSMS, ensuring both consistency and food safety at every step.



🍄 Inoculation & Incubation
Once drained, the straw is mixed with grain spawn and packed into reusable buckets with pre-drilled holes. Over three weeks, the mycelium colonizes the substrate completely, forming a dense underground network that’s ready to fruit.
All inoculation and incubation environments are controlled, logged, and regularly verified to meet strict hygiene and environmental standards.



🌤 Fruiting
Colonized blocks are moved to our solar-powered grow rooms, where temperature, humidity, and airflow are carefully maintained. The space is lit with natural dappled light and misted with filtered rainwater.
From pinning to harvest, mushrooms double in size daily — a truly awe-inspiring transformation.



✋ Hand Harvesting
No two clusters are the same. Our Hiratake mushrooms are harvested by hand, with precision slicing to remove residual substrate. Fresh clusters are boxed and chilled immediately to preserve quality.
Some are delivered fresh to local restaurants and markets. Others are sliced and dehydrated for our dried mushroom range, including whole dried mushrooms and Hiratake powder — or supplied to our partners at Umami Hiratake™ for the mushroom salt seasoning range.
Each batch is logged and tracked as part of our FSMS to ensure transparency from farm to table.


🔁 Post-Harvest & Regeneration
After harvest, the used substrate becomes living compost — ideal for gardens, livestock feed, or even for remediating contaminated soil.
Buckets are washed, dried, and sanitised using strict cleaning procedures, then re-packed for a fresh growing cycle, keeping waste to a minimum.
Hygiene and cleaning protocols for all post-harvest tools, grow rooms, and fruiting containers are fully documented and routinely verified as part of our food safety program.



Written by Chai Robertson, founder.
Published by Amara Mushrooms under license from the author.