Two long-term friends from Moray have launched their stress-busting 'functional' mushrooms brand into 250 Tesco stores. Erik Lang and Smith Feeney, both 38, are supplying five products from their Love Mushrooms brand. The products are also being stocked on the supermarket chain's website.
Research shows that functional mushrooms can help with concentration, stress, anxiety, energy and immunity. Worldwide, it is a multi-billion pound industry. The mushroom entrepreneurs have their own organic mushroom farm and laboratory on Marcassie Farm in Forres. Mr Lang who was born in France, has been growing mushrooms for over ten years and has worked on organic farms and as a sous chef in restaurants around the world.
He said: "Our dream is to make the highest quality functional mushroom tinctures and capsules available to people at a price that isn't a barrier, instead of them being seen as a luxury product. Mr Feeney who has a background in the charity sector, first met his friend while they were working in a Spanish ecological community project in 2014.
He said: "We're both fascinated by the benefits of mushrooms and how closely they're connected to our wellbeing and holistic health. Research has shown that humans share 50% of our DNA with mushrooms. "Like Erik, I've been growing lots of different varieties of mushrooms for years wherever I've been living in the world and have done a lot of research into their amazing health benefits. Mushrooms and fungi have for centuries been sustenance for those who know how to harvest and use them.
"When we found Marcassie Farm we knew it was the perfect place to start our business. It's a peaceful place, and a real close-knit community, which champions innovation and creativity as well as promoting heritage crafts, food growing and artisan production."
Source: Daily Business