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Offlinemcchieftan
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ChampiRoi - a small mushroom farm in Brittany, France
    #21813621 - 06/16/15 07:34 AM (8 years, 7 months ago)



Hello!

I've been wanting to do a write-up about our project so far for a while but can never quite find the time! However, as the first stage is now complete and the planning for the next phase is under way I'd like to ask for your help looking over our plans. All feedback welcome :smile:

In short: In March last year we decided to leap into this project having not really spent enough time experimenting/researching. We set up a small business around using pasteurised coffee grounds to grow regular Oysters and, despite some small successes, by the end of summer we realised that we needed to go back to the drawing board and start again. We built a laboratory, started sterilising, changed substrate to one more available in our immediate environment (sawdust) and changed species (P.eryngii). After a few months of mould cultivation we started to achieve a consistent output and we've now had a month of 15kg a week output and 1000 euros of sales. Output is due to rise to 45kg/week in the next month but the size and layout of our present installation prevents further increases.

Presently our production is split between three areas, an outside garage, two upstairs bedrooms and part of an outbuilding. Bags are prepared outside in the garage and then carried upstairs and loaded into two basic barrel sterilisers in our lab. After inoculation they are moved into the next door bedroom (aka incubation chamber) where they spend 6 weeks before being carried downstairs, cased and move into the fruiting chamber in an outbuilding.

Obviously this situation is untenable in the long-term so we plan to build a new structure that will allow us to use wheeled trolleys and increase our output further. However, there are certain situation-specific restrictions that come into play.

1) There is very little incentive to produce more than 100-150kg max. a week. We have an very advantageous administration and tax position as long as our sales stay under a certain threshold, equivalent to this output. Because of these we are not looking to create an enormous structure. Our 6.25msq FC has a 240 bag capacity, adequate for a theoretically production of 90kgs a week given current yields and time spent in FC per bag.

2) We own the land where we live as part of a family community and we don't have the right to despoil all the lovely gardens for a big mushrooms shed, because of this the proposed building is sited between the property line and a pre-existing outbuilding.

3) French property law obliges us to build up to the property limit or to leave a 3m gap between the building and the limit. As the space available is 3.5m wide at its narrowest this means we have to build to the limit - leaving us with a strangely shaped structure!

4) We cannot use the pre-existing barn indefinitely so ultimately we will dismantle our first FC and vacate the building.

Here are some images to give you an idea of what we're looking at:

An overview of the current site and proposed buildings (in green)


More detailed layout of the proposed new structure



Some photos:

1. Proposed site of storage structure. (taken standing in the paved court, facing the future location of the proposed structure. The pine trees will be removed. The outermost limit of the wood-stock to the property line behind is 3.5m)


2. Proposed site of storage structure. (if you are looking at the plan this picture is taken from the right-most extremity of the proposed structure, looking back towards the garage with the house on the left)


3. The garage (currently there are large bags of sawdust in the corner where the sterilisation and mini-lab are planned. There is a loft that is used for storage and is part of the bag production cycle. The garage is currently open on two sides but will build walls to enclose the space, leaving access on both sides)



4. The bag filling station (to be explained further another time? At present we average about 80 bags an hour, including carrying the bags upstairs in the house)



5. The loft and bag filling equipment


6. Looking out of the garage towards the proposed new mushroom building. The opening in the garage wall will be closed leaving two doors. One will be where the current gate is (Left of image), the other will be adjacent and will lead into the corridor connecting the garage to the incubation and fruiting rooms).


7. This photo is taken from where the proposed corridor will be. The main building will be built behind the pre-existing barn visible in the centre of the photo. (The pine trees will also be removed here)


8. With my back against the end-wall of the barn the picture is taken towards the proposed location of fruiting room 1 on the plan.


9. Behind the barn, in the proposed incubation room.


10. Further along behind the barn, the proposed site of the second fruiting room.


11. Looking back long the back of the barn in the direction of the garage


Of the top of my head:

1) I am not sure about FC1. One of the problems with the design is that I'd be obliged to bring old/contaminated sub back through the incubation space. As we're working with sterilised sub and sealed bags this isn't as much of an issue as if we were using pasteurised sub but it'd still be better if old/contam. sub could leave the FC by another door. FC2 could easily have an exit door opposite the entry to facilitate evacuation of sub. It would be nice to have a second FC to be able to work with other species but it is not a priority. For the moment we have no competition growing Kings in our region and early indications of demand are very positive.

2) I haven't talked about construction materials. Our new lodger happens to also be a certified architect (lucky!) so I am getting his advice. So far we have discussed using wood and straw insulation for the incubation room but we will not likely use these for the fruiting chamber parts of the structure.


Ok, possibly lots I've forgotten but I can feel my brain getting clogged so I'll have to come back later and check this over. Thanks for your time and Baal bless! :P

Edit1:

At the very earliest this work is planned for September but its entirely possible that the whole thing might wait until next year. The French planning law is due to change at the end of June and we have a better chance of getting the project approved if we have already submitted plans by the end of June..


Edited by mcchieftan (06/16/15 07:54 AM)


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InvisibleRogerSmith

Registered: 01/29/15 Happy 9th Shroomiversary!
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Re: ChampiRoi - a small mushroom farm in Brittany, France [Re: mcchieftan]
    #21814393 - 06/16/15 12:31 PM (8 years, 7 months ago)

Thanks for sharing! Commercial operations are always fun and educational to read :thumbup:

I can't help feeling that pasteurization methods are able to produce much more mushrooms. Sterilization is good for delicate species, like kings or hericium, but it would be so much easier to expand grain spawn to pasteurized wood-based substrate. Perfecting method to do this isn't that easy I guess. What's your opinion on this?


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Offlinefrog48
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Re: ChampiRoi - a small mushroom farm in Brittany, France [Re: RogerSmith]
    #21814653 - 06/16/15 01:33 PM (8 years, 7 months ago)

Thanks a lot for letting us sneak around. Gave me some good ideas. What is that inox thing behind the garage? I bet it's going to be turned in a steambox one day! Good luck Chief!


Edited by frog48 (06/16/15 01:36 PM)


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Offlinemcchieftan
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Re: ChampiRoi - a small mushroom farm in Brittany, France [Re: RogerSmith]
    #21814685 - 06/16/15 01:40 PM (8 years, 7 months ago)

My pleasure, thanks for taking the time to read and discuss.

Perhaps we were scared off pasteurisation after our experiences with the coffee grounds? Sterilisation has the advantage of being difficult to overdo (as far as present experience has shown) whereas part of the difficulty with the grounds was that it was difficult to find the right point, not too much or too little. Also perhaps a question of setup? If we pasteurise the sawdust loose then we have the problem of draining it (which we tried but it was too wet) and if we pasteurise it in the bags that we'll fruit from then its difficult to add the grain spawn later. I tried using lime but had poor results (also hydraulic lime is forbidden in organic farming here). Perhaps I'm missing something obvious? After 6 months of unreliable production and lots of contamination I think I was simply happy to have some constant results!

Of course any ideas for more efficient techniques are welcome, especially before we proceed with a larger installation based around our current methods! At the moment we (my partner and I) can inoculate, mix and label 40, 3kgs bags of sterilised sub (120kg) in one hour. One of the other problems I've discovered is that once you're engaged in a substantial production there is that much less time available to experiment!


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OfflineGr0wer
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Re: ChampiRoi - a small mushroom farm in Brittany, France [Re: mcchieftan]
    #21824020 - 06/18/15 02:59 PM (8 years, 7 months ago)

I find 5 gal pails are great for pasteurized sub. Im a big fan of pails vs. tubes or bags because you can almost infinitely reuse them and they are stackable. I immerse 2 pillow cases filled with sawdust + gypsum in my 15 gal kettle with 12 gals at 170F. It starts out around 154-6F with ~17 lbs dry sub and after an hour its down to the mid 140s.  I then lay it out on cleaned poly to drain and put a shop fan on them to cool quickly and squeeze out excess moisture. A stainless steel prep table or huge shallow sink with rails around it and a hole to fill the pails on the end would be tits for this. I'll then dump the bags spread it out and allow it to further cool with the fan, turning once or twice. Once its below 80 ill mix in my spawn and pack the pails. My bottom holes on the pails are about 1" from the bottom so i tilt the pail for a day as shown in this picture and it drips dry. Im hoping to scale up to a 55 gal plastic drum with a DIY hot water heater and wrapped in insulation. Then i can prep 4-8 ~30 lb 5 gal pails at once. If your hot water heater can be turned to 180F then you can just use that for a hot water source, mines a goddam energy star 140F max.





Good luck with the build, looks like you have your hands full!


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Offlinemcchieftan
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Re: ChampiRoi - a small mushroom farm in Brittany, France [Re: Gr0wer]
    #21826244 - 06/19/15 12:02 AM (8 years, 7 months ago)

Thanks for the input Gr0wer. I guess once things are a bit more settled here we'll check it out! Right now I'm running round hunting down clients for the 40kgs a week that will be coming very soon!

Fr0g! Hello, hope alls well! Yes, the big cuve is the next steriliser. I'm hoping to get around 200kg of sub in it per run and I'm dearly looking forwards to having everything on the ground-floor and having inox shelving in the steriliser- not having rust everywhere!!


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OfflineGr0wer
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Re: ChampiRoi - a small mushroom farm in Brittany, France [Re: mcchieftan]
    #21826340 - 06/19/15 12:37 AM (8 years, 7 months ago)

Care to share a few pix of your bulk sterilizer? Is it a 55 gal open top DIY setup?


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Offlineforrest
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Re: ChampiRoi - a small mushroom farm in Brittany, France [Re: Gr0wer]
    #21826542 - 06/19/15 02:07 AM (8 years, 7 months ago)

Looking good monsieur!


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Offlinemcchieftan
Part man, part mushroom
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Registered: 09/08/05
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Re: ChampiRoi - a small mushroom farm in Brittany, France [Re: forrest]
    #21826689 - 06/19/15 04:12 AM (8 years, 7 months ago)

Thanks forrest! Feeling panicky finally taking our produce to restaurants but I guess we gotta leap sooner or later!

Gr0wer: Couldn't be any simpler. 2 barrels sitting atop regular kitchen eletric hobs attached to STC-1000 thermostats and wrapped up in insulation. Shelves are double layers of iron grill with spacers inbetween them to facilitate steam penetration. Definately not a long term solution, as my back can attest!



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Invisiblesolarity
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Re: ChampiRoi - a small mushroom farm in Brittany, France [Re: mcchieftan]
    #21826861 - 06/19/15 06:12 AM (8 years, 7 months ago)

You know those STC 100's are usually only rated for 5A ? Some of the older ones are 10A....


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Offlinemcchieftan
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Registered: 09/08/05
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Re: ChampiRoi - a small mushroom farm in Brittany, France [Re: solarity]
    #21826983 - 06/19/15 07:27 AM (8 years, 7 months ago)

I can't remember the exact details but we went through this a while ago... The first few I got copped out but then I bought some more from another supplier and they are fine - many successful cycles completed. I think the hobs are 1.5-2 kW.

As I say, next major step is to get the big stainless steel steriliser on-line..


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InvisibleEskeer
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Re: ChampiRoi - a small mushroom farm in Brittany, France [Re: mcchieftan]
    #21827049 - 06/19/15 07:49 AM (8 years, 7 months ago)

:takingnotes:


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OfflineGr0wer
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Re: ChampiRoi - a small mushroom farm in Brittany, France [Re: Eskeer]
    #21827194 - 06/19/15 08:35 AM (8 years, 7 months ago)

STC-1000's and similar units are rated to 10A 120V. If the burners are 1500w he is pushing the limit on the relay but engineers underrate circuits for a safety factor. And for those who would like to apply a STC-1000 to a larger element install a 120v controlled 30A relay, or even a 240v relay.


@ Mcchieftan, So steam with no pressure is your method of sterilization? How long do you sterilize? Are you aware there are stainless steel 55 gal drums out there, some food industry uses them. You can pick them up here in the US for around $2-500 each. They also make 100 gal versions.

http://www.bubbasbarrels.com/catalog/stainless-steel-drums-and-accessories


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OfflinepoofterFroth
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Re: ChampiRoi - a small mushroom farm in Brittany, France [Re: Gr0wer]
    #21827281 - 06/19/15 09:07 AM (8 years, 7 months ago)

You've got a nice space. I hope you don't have to chop many of those trees out with your redesign. :sun:

But I would strive to have the best work flow possible when designing a new set-up. Like you already said, up and down stairs is crazy extra work. Also think about having your incubation space next in line to your sterilization/inoculation space. Then 2 fruiting rooms, and post harvest/product storage at the end.

Ex.

Stockroom/Supplies > Bag Prep > Sterilization/Inoc. > Incubation > Fruit 1 > Fruit 2 > Post Harvest Storage.

How big are you thinking to make your fruiting rooms?


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Offlinemcchieftan
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Re: ChampiRoi - a small mushroom farm in Brittany, France [Re: poofterFroth]
    #21827432 - 06/19/15 09:58 AM (8 years, 7 months ago)

Gr0wer, as mentioned above I have a 1m3 stainless steel tank that I will be converting into a bulk steriliser. At the moment I run the units for 18 hours after the top of the barrel reaches 95 C. When I make the bulk steriliser I will be making use of Solarity's awesome sauna steamer setup with a seperate probe reading core sub. temperature.

Hi poofter! I'm afraid all of those pines will be taken out in the process! The community wanted to take them out anyway because they block a lot of the light to our house, especially in winter. However, there are plenty of other trees on our property and as we're hoping to invest profits from the business in developing permaculture projects that we have on the rest of the site we're not too worries, eggs and omelettes kind of thing?

I agree with you that the work through could be optimised. Thanks for your input, I'll get back here when I've integrated it into the next draft I'm working with. I'm also wondering if I could do cold-weather shiitake in the same room as the Kings and just have one large fruiting room at the end of the structure.

Assuming we can find the clients our maximum production will be around the 150kg a week mark. This equates to 200 bags a week and as the bags spend 2 weeks in fruiting, 400 bags total capacity. Our current 6.25 sqm has a capacity of 240 bags so I guess we'll be after something about twice this size?


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Invisiblesolarity
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Re: ChampiRoi - a small mushroom farm in Brittany, France [Re: Gr0wer]
    #21827690 - 06/19/15 11:05 AM (8 years, 7 months ago)

Quote:

Gr0wer said:
STC-1000's and similar units are rated to 10A 120V. If the burners are 1500w he is pushing the limit on the relay but engineers underrate circuits for a safety factor. And for those who would like to apply a STC-1000 to a larger element install a 120v controlled 30A relay, or even a 240v relay.





He is in France, domestic voltage is 230V single phase. STC-100's normally rated to 5A at 230v ie 1.1Kw,  really should be relay driven. I am assuming since he has not set fire to place he has managed to find a 10A rated one! ... Or has been lucky..

Personally I think you have a great thing going with the kings - I am jealous of your yields! if you grow Shiitake at the same time you will likely find people just buy 50/50 rather than double.


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OfflineGr0wer
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Re: ChampiRoi - a small mushroom farm in Brittany, France [Re: solarity]
    #21827924 - 06/19/15 12:08 PM (8 years, 7 months ago)

Looks like were both wrong, i even checked on my ITC-1000F (C/F version) and it says 10A 250V

Relay contact capacity: Cool 10A/250VAC;Heat 10A/250VAC;


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Offlinemcchieftan
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Re: ChampiRoi - a small mushroom farm in Brittany, France [Re: Gr0wer]
    #21827947 - 06/19/15 12:15 PM (8 years, 7 months ago)

My first two STCs cacked out fast and these ones have done maybe 20+ runs... I'm guessing we'd be dead already if it was dodgy? erk..

Interesting take Solarity, I like the idea of being a multi-mushroom man but it seems so much simpler to be a one-hit wonder, especially given that no-one else is doing them round here...


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