Nestled in the Waimanalo countryside lies Small Kine Farms, Oahu's first and only organic mushroom farm. That already sounds pretty special, but you haven’t even heard of the amazing things they’re doing there!
Fung Yang founded Small Kine Farms after years of growing his recycling business on Oahu. Every day, he picked up the usual cans, bottles, paper, food waste, tree trimmings and other organic waste. One day, he noticed that one of his piles of tree trimmings was growing mushrooms. It was then that he realized that he could combine the two businesses to create a truly sustainable mushroom farm. Fast forward ten years later to today, his recycling business is still going and his mushroom farm is thriving.
Fung has figured out how to have a completely sustainable and nearly zero waste operation at Small Kine Farms. The organic waste comes in and gets composted to create the best environment for mushrooms to thrive. The mushrooms help to break down all that organic matter faster too! Once the mushrooms have been harvested, the organic matter is full of nutrients and is ready to feed other crops. By bringing the organic waste to the farm, Small Kine helps us avoid letting literally tons of potential nutrients go into the landfill. We love how this cycle continually supports and nourishes our precious land.
Next time you see Small Kine Farms mushrooms, we encourage you to give them a try! Not only are they a delicious source of protein, but you can support a local and sustainable business at the same time. Win-win for the planet!
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