These locally-grown mushrooms assist individuals with disabilities discover work and earn an actual wage

Mushroom Buddies supplies employment for folks with mental disabilities

Have you ever ever tried contemporary, regionally grown mushrooms? Should you frequent farmers’ markets, you might need come throughout a gaggle of people with particular wants proudly promoting mushrooms they’ve cultivated themselves. These freshly picked mushrooms come from Mushroom Buddies, a social enterprise run by individuals with mental disabilities beneath the co-operative E4PID — quick for Employment for Individuals with Mental Disabilities.

We spoke with William Teo, a father to a toddler with mental disabilities and present chairman of E4PID, to find out how the initiative sprouted, and what it takes to develop mushrooms — and significant employment — in Singapore.

E4PID is the organisation behind Mushroom Buddies

E4PID is the co-operative behind Mushroom Buddies. Based in 2011 by a gaggle of fogeys of youngsters with particular wants, the goal was to enhance the standard of lifetime of their youngsters and others with comparable challenges.

Whereas they believed that charities play an vital function, these organisations usually lack the enterprise experience to create long-term, sustainable employment. To alter that, these mother and father opted to construct a social enterprise that gives actual jobs and salaries for individuals with mental disabilities.

Their downside was clear: after graduating from particular faculties at 18, many people with mental disabilities battle to search out work. Even those that safe positions in open employment — workplaces the place they work together with the remainder of the inhabitants — usually face difficulties sustaining their jobs with out sufficient assist.

“Like anybody else, individuals with disabilities should have choices and alternatives to decide on what sort of work they need to do,” William mentioned. “Significant employment enhances their high quality of life.”

Immediately, 5 of E4PID’s 10 board members are actively concerned in operating Mushroom Buddies, together with William. As a co-operative, E4PID actively channels income again to its members and staff, which implies salaries are dictated by its earnings.

E4PID can be an affiliate member of the Singapore Nationwide Co-operative Federation (SNCF) — the nationwide apex physique that helps, represents, and connects co-operatives throughout Singapore.

From partnerships to independence: the early days of Mushroom Buddies

Beginning as a pilot mission in 2012 as a partnership with Everbloom Mushroom Farm, E4PID offered 12 individuals with particular wants the chance to work on the farm.

Based on William, round 30% of individuals with mental disabilities find yourself in day care centres with out employment, a 3rd are usually not actively engaged in work, and solely a small minority maintain open employment, akin to at shops like Uniqlo, performing duties akin to accumulating and sorting garments at becoming rooms.

“With out correct assist, people with mental disabilities usually lose their jobs,” he defined. “At E4PID, we goal to shut the hole between open and sheltered employment.

In Oct 2021, Mushroom Buddies formally started life, supported by a container donated by waste administration firm Blue Planet.

Mushroom Buddies: rising with goal

Immediately, Mushroom Buddies operates out of three container tons positioned at Sprout Hub, an city farm and group area positioned within the former Henderson Secondary Faculty constructing. Two containers function the farm, and one other is used for packing harvested mushrooms.

The workforce includes eight employees with mental disabilities, supported by round 40 volunteers and a part-time supervisor. The workers come from voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs) akin to The Down Syndrome Affiliation of Singapore, MINDS, and St. Andrew’s Autism Centre.

Every morning, a rotating workforce of 4 to 5 volunteers works alongside the employees, fostering teamwork whereas permitting the staff to take care of independence of their duties. Mushroom Buddies additionally collaborates with these VWOs to discover increasing its city farming mannequin into their premises.

Based on William, sustainable open employment for individuals with particular wants stays a key problem in Singapore, as standard work environments usually don’t accommodate their talents. At Mushroom Buddies, the main focus is on a protected, affected person, and versatile office, with manageable duties that empower employees to thrive.

Many volunteers had by no means interacted with individuals with particular wants earlier than becoming a member of the farm, however now work alongside them as true colleagues. William highlighted that this inclusive surroundings fosters a deep sense of group and camaraderie, boosting the vanity, psychological well-being, and bodily well being of staff and trainees alike.

The enterprise of mushrooms

Mushroom Buddies at the moment cultivates three premium mushroom varieties — pearl oyster, lion’s mane, and abalone mushrooms. These are priced round S$5.45–$9.90 a pack, relying on the variability. William acknowledged the premium price ticket, however emphasised that a lot of the worth comes from the exhausting work of individuals with mental disabilities, who take possession and satisfaction of their duties.

“We need to give our employees a way of self-worth by way of a job that rewards them with a wage and permits them to be happy with their exhausting work.”

These mushrooms are temperate varieties much less generally present in Singapore, and are natural, pesticide-free, and freshly packed on the market inside one to 2 days — in contrast to imported mushrooms which can be usually chemically handled for longer shelf life.

They buy pre-inoculated logs (containing rice bran, sawdust, and mushroom spores) from a provider in Malaysia. As soon as in Singapore, the mushrooms are allowed to fruit for a couple of week earlier than harvesting. Every log yields mushrooms for 3 to 5 harvest cycles earlier than being thought of spent.

Some prospects at farmer markets grew to become Mushroom Buddies’ companions, the place cooks determine to collaborate after studying the story behind their mushrooms. Excessive-end eating places kind the principle buyer base, with Black Cherry and Yhingthai Palace among the many notable stockists. On common, Mushroom Buddies produces 8–10 kilograms of mushrooms each day, and over 300 kilograms in good months.

Regardless of their quick one-week shelf life, nothing goes to waste. Unsold mushrooms are become merchandise like mushroom chips and pâté, out there by way of their web site or at farmers’ market pop-ups. Corporations often place bulk orders as presents for workers. In addition they function a donor scheme the place surplus mushrooms and merchandise are distributed to aged houses and soup kitchens.

The by-products of mushroom farming — spent logs and meals waste — are processed by way of a composter, demonstrating Mushroom Buddies’ zero-waste, round farming mannequin. The ensuing compost is bought to gardeners and landscaping firms, which use it in large-scale initiatives like Gardens by the Bay. The proceeds are reinvested into paying staff and sustaining the enterprise.

Workers usually work two to 3 hours a day, paid hourly, a number of weekdays every week, relying on their preferences and availability. They take cost of duties akin to harvesting, trimming, sorting, packaging, and cleansing. William remembers accommodating employees with explicit wants — for instance, a claustrophobic worker was given various duties outdoors of the containers and have become a long-term workforce member.

William highlighted: “This pseudo-sheltered mannequin offers them flexibility. They’ll work with pals whereas socialising with folks with out disabilities in a supportive surroundings. We engineer our work to suit the employees we’ve.”

“We concentrate on their talents as an alternative of their disabilities,” he added.

By producing regionally and sustainably, Mushroom Buddies additionally contributes to Singapore’s “30 by 30” purpose — to provide 30% of the nation’s dietary wants regionally by 2030. 

Collaborations and initiatives

By way of a volunteer’s connection, Mushroom Buddies was launched to Floor-Up Initiative (GUI), which supplied them area at its new Yishun facility to ascertain their subsequent farm and assist enlargement plans in 2026. In addition they plan to introduce extra mushroom varieties on the new web site with three climate-controlled containers.

To coach the bigger society, Mushroom Buddies hosts farm excursions, workshops, faculty and office shows, and company social accountability (CSR) initiatives. These actions present alternatives for the group to interact with sustainability and inclusion whereas studying about the advantages of mushrooms firsthand.

“At Mushroom Buddies, it’s not simply in regards to the enterprise but in addition about educating the broader group about differently-abled individuals and inclusion,” William mentioned.

“Folks with or with out disabilities typically have no idea behave round each other attributable to a scarcity of interplay between the 2 teams. We need to improve that interplay with our work,” William highlighted. “We’re proud that our employees, who initially got here in reserved, later grew to become extra open and even attempt to have interaction with strangers after working with us.”

Mushroom Buddies has been recognised for its efforts previously 4 years. Some achievements embody successful three consecutive years of SFA-approved organically grown mushrooms and clinching Honeycombers Sustainability Awards — Silver winner for Finest Sustainable Initiative with an Impression in 2024 and 2025.

Offering job alternatives for extra individuals with disabilities sooner or later

Trying forward, the workforce is set to scale up manufacturing.

Their long-term hopes are to extend wages, create extra job alternatives for individuals with mental disabilities, and finally increase employment to incorporate individuals with different forms of disabilities.

E4PID can be exploring different sectors to construct social enterprises, offering extra choices for individuals with disabilities to enhance their high quality of life.

William speaks on behalf of some mother and father of PWDs. On a bigger scale, he hopes that Singapore will grow to be extra inclusive and affected person with individuals with disabilities — by way of initiatives akin to group care residences and broader job alternatives — so everybody can dwell a fuller life.

• Discover out extra about Mushroom Buddies right here.
• Learn extra tales we’ve written on Singaporean companies right here.