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.

Freshly poured agar Petri dishes cooling in front of a sterile laminar flow hood at the Amara Mushrooms laboratory in Western Australia, used for growing mycelium in the earliest stages of Hiratake mushroom production.   Early-stage mushroom mycelium growth on sterile agar in a Petri dish at Amara Mushrooms' laboratory, forming the foundation for grain spawn production.   Hiratake mushroom mycelium colonising sterilised grain during in-house spawn production at Amara Mushrooms in Western Australia, ensuring quality-controlled mushroom cultivation.

🌾 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.

Locally sourced straw bales delivered to Amara Mushrooms in Western Australia, used to prepare clean, natural substrate for sustainable Hiratake mushroom cultivation, with third-party quality verification.  Chopped straw prepared for pasteurisation at Amara Mushrooms in Denmark, Western Australia, used to produce fruiting blocks for sustainable Hiratake mushroom cultivation.  Pasteurised straw ready for inoculation and packing into reusable fruiting containers at Amara Mushrooms in Denmark, Western Australia, supporting sustainable Hiratake mushroom production.

🍄 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.

Tub of pasteurised straw and sanitised reusable fruiting containers prepared for substrate inoculation at Amara Mushrooms in Denmark, Western Australia, supporting sustainable Hiratake mushroom cultivation.  High-quality mushroom grain spawn cluster placed on pasteurised straw substrate, ready for inoculation of Hiratake mushroom fruiting blocks at Amara Mushrooms in Denmark, Western Australia.  Inoculated substrate partially packed into a reusable fruiting container at Amara Mushrooms in Denmark, Western Australia, supporting sustainable Hiratake mushroom cultivation.

🌤 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.

 

Baby Hiratake mushrooms emerging in clusters from stacks of reusable fruiting buckets at Amara Mushrooms in Denmark, Western Australia, grown using sustainable methods and natural inputs.  Mature Hiratake mushrooms at Amara Mushrooms in Denmark, Western Australia, almost ready for harvest and processing into dried mushrooms, mushroom powder, and Umami Hiratake™ mushroom seasoning.  Fresh Hiratake mushrooms hand-harvested at Amara Mushrooms in Denmark, Western Australia, following strict food safety and quality assurance procedures.

✋ 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.

High-quality Hiratake mushroom powder made from 100% fruiting body by Amara Mushrooms in Western Australia, exceeding EU, SFA, and FSANZ food safety requirements with third-party testing at NATA-recognised laboratories.   Dehydrated Hiratake mushrooms grown and processed by Amara Mushrooms in Western Australia, with every batch tested for shelf stability using on-site laboratory-grade analysis.

🔁 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.

 

Mycelium-covered mushroom substrate at Amara Mushrooms in Western Australia, a sustainable by-product used for soil regeneration and as a natural mulch.  New flush of baby Hiratake mushrooms fruiting after rain atop a trailer load of spent mushroom substrate at Amara Mushrooms in Western Australia, prior to delivery for use in local gardens as natural mulch.  Straw substrate fully colonised with mycelium at Amara Mushrooms in Western Australia, forming the high-quality growing base for sustainable Hiratake mushroom cultivation."

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