‘I quit my job after growing mushrooms in my bedroom and now I have a huge contract with Aldi’

Gareth Griffith-Swain started growing mushrooms from grow bags in the bedroom of his house share during the pandemic. Now he’s turned his bedroom hobby into a thriving business and won a contract to supply 1,000 Aldi stores.

The 33-year-old from Waunfawr in Gwynedd is taking his business to the next level after winning Channel 4’s Aldi’s Next Big Thing. His dried Lion’s Mane mushrooms will be on sale in 1,000 Aldi stores from Thursday. Gareth was picked to appear on the show out of hundreds of applicants competing for a contract to stock Aldi stores.

He says he developed his business through “trial and error” and was self-taught watching YouTube videos. At first he sold to local markets and restuarants. Download WalesOnline’s Premium app on Apple or Android.

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“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.”

On the Channel 4 show Gareth presented his specially created dried mushrooms which can be used for cooking, after developing them 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.”

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.

Channel 4’s Aldi’s Next Big Thing is 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. Gareth impressed judges and Julie Ashfield, managing director of buying at Aldi UK, who considered factors such as price, packaging, shopper demand, and the ability to scale up.

Finalists had four weeks to address any feedback, with a follow-up home visit and taste-test before Julie decided the winner. 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.”

After winning the contract, Gareth returned to Landrillo College, renting out the food preparation hall for six months so he could produce his dried lion’s mane mushroom on an industrial scale. With the lease of the halls, Gareth also had food technologists on hand to support him in operating the dehydrator equipment, and to ensure that the correct hygiene and health and safety procedures were being adhered to.

He said: “Having access to the facility has been a crucial part of our success. Without the Food Technology Centre we wouldn’t be where we are today. The food technologists have helped me at every stage of production, and nothing has ever been too much trouble, they have been an imperative part of this journey and I would recommend their services to any Welsh food and drink producer.

“The Food Technology Centre has supported me on multiple projects, from new product development, shelf-life testing to food safety mentoring. The service I’ve received has been invaluable, and it has helped us plan the next stages of the business and see how we can grow and develop - as well as the mushrooms.”

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