Aldi's Next Big Thing Welsh contestant went from growing mushrooms in his bedroom to running a thriving business

Abbie Wightwick
·4-min read
Mushroom grower Gareth Griffith-Swain surrounded by his growing mushrooms
Gareth Griffith-Swain surrounded by his growing mushrooms -Credit:Channel 4


Stuck at home during the pandemic, Gareth Griffith-Swain started growing mushrooms from grow bags in the bedroom of his house share in London. Now he has turned his bedroom hobby into a thriving business from the family sheep farm in north Wales selling to restaurants, local markets and online.

On Tuesday, Gareth, from Waunfawr in Gwynedd, is appearing on Channel 4’s Aldi’s Next Big Thing to find out whether he has secured a lucrative deal to supply the supermarket nationwide. The 33-year-old, who was picked to appear on the show out of hundreds of applicants competing for a contract to stock Aldi stores, says he developed his business through “trial and error” and was self taught watching YouTube videos.

He said: “I was working for Nando’s and started growing oyster mushrooms for fun in my bedroom during lockdown. It was a lockdown hobby but soon I knew I wanted to develop a product and I’ve always wanted to work for myself.” Download WalesOnline’s Premium app on Apple or Android.

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Gareth Griffith-Swain on Channel 4's ‘Aldi’s Next Big Thing’ with his Fungi Foods product, dried Lion’s Mane mushroom
Gareth Griffith-Swain on Channel 4's ‘Aldi’s Next Big Thing’ with his Fungi Foods product, dried Lion’s Mane mushroom -Credit:Channel 4

On the Channel 4 show Gareth will present his specially created dried mushrooms which can be used for cooking, which he developed with help from Coleg Llandrillo’s food technology centre in Llangefni. The entrepreneur moved his budding business to north Wales in 2021 when his grandfather died leaving the family sheep farm Tyn-yr-Onnen to Gareth’s parents.

With no-one in the family wanting to carry on sheep farming, Gareth is delighted the farm is still being used. Although he grew up in England he spent happy summers at the farm, and is keen to get back to his roots - by also learning Welsh.

“My mum Helen grew up on the farm and it was an idyllic place to spend summers. When my grandfather died and it was left to my parents they were looking for ways to diversify.

“It means a lot to be back. My grandfather Tom Griffiths wanted us to come back and I studied agro business at university, but none of us wanted to be a sheep farmer. I grow the mushrooms here on wooden blocks and started selling to restaurants in Caernarfon and at markets. Lion’s Mane has a very short shelf-life, but it’s easy to hydrate so I was selling it dried at markets and it was popular.”

Julie Ashfield, managing director of buying at Aldi UK, with Aldi’s Next Big Thing presenters Chris Bavin and Anita Rani
Julie Ashfield, managing director of buying at Aldi UK, with Aldi’s Next Big Thing presenters Chris Bavin and Anita Rani -Credit:Channel 4
Gareth Griffith-Swain’s Fungi Foods product, Dried Lion’s Mane Mushroom
Gareth Griffith-Swain’s Fungi Foods product, Dried Lion’s Mane Mushroom -Credit:Channel 4

Growing up to 300 kilos of mushrooms a week at the farm, Gareth sells them to the health supplement industry as well as for food. The other half of the business involves making and selling the wooden grow blocks from chippings from local tree surgeons, sawdust, bran and soya hulls.

Developing the dried lion’s mane, Gareth used Llandrillo College’s food technology centre for shelf-life testing, food safety and product development. “The centre has been an essential part of the success of the business, it has helped us plan the next stages of the business and see how we can grow and develop,” he said.

You can find out whether Gareth has secured the coveted Aldi contract on Channel 4’s Aldi’s Next Big Thing on Tuesday May 7. Presented by Anita Rani and Chris Bavin, the six-part series sees suppliers compete in a range of categories including dinners and baked goods, as well as exciting new category additions party, world, and confectionery.

Products are presented to Julie Ashfield, managing director of buying at Aldi UK, who considers factors such as price, packaging, shopper demand, and the ability to scale up, before shortlisting contestants down to just two. Finalists are then given four weeks to address any feedback, with a follow-up home visit from Anita or Chris who will report back their findings to Julie. The three then taste-test the improved products, before Julie decides the winner which will appear as a special buy in more than 1,000 stores.

Gareth said mushrooms are a sustainable, versatile and delicious food source, and he wants to show people the beautiful varieties there are: “I believe mushrooms have a big part to play in the future of food. There is a lot of neurological research focused on two compounds found in lion’s mane that help the growth of brain receptors. In doing that, they can improve memory, focus and concentration.”

* To find out if Gareth’s Lion’s Mane mushrooms make it onto Aldi’s shelves, watch Aldi’s Next Big Thing on Channel 4 on Tuesday May 7 at 8pm.

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