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Ellijay Mushrooms Farm in Ellijay, Georgia
High in the hills of the Appalachian Mountains, nestled in the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest, thousands of pounds of mushrooms grow weekly on over 40 acres of shared Georgia land. Ellijay Mushrooms was co-founded in 2018 by Howard Berk, a former IT professional, who had already launched a successful mushroom business, 2funguys. Today, Berk and his business partners produce an estimated 6,000 pounds per week of five types of shiitake and oyster mushrooms out of 10 greenhouses. The Ellijay fungi can be found everywhere from mom-and-pop shops to Michelin-star restaurants throughout the southeast and beyond, and in over 40 southeast farmers’ markets, community supported agriculture programs and major grocery chains. Berk’s interest in fungi started at a young age, an internet-free era, which he spent outdoors, chasing grasshoppers and playing in the woods. Mushrooms, in particular, piqued his fascination, and took him to the library, where he’d look up which were edible and which were poisonous. To grow great mushrooms, the secret is in the water. Since mushrooms are made up of 90 percent water, Berk calls the area’s cold, clean mountain streams the “Rolls Royce” of waters, making Ellijay the ideal growing grounds. Another unique aspect: The farm shares the 171 acres of surrounding land with a Buddhist monastery of the America Dhamma Society—so you might even catch a glimpse of a monk or nun walking in the distance.
High in the hills of the Appalachian Mountains, nestled in the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest, thousands of pounds of mushrooms grow weekly on over 40 acres of shared Georgia land.
Ellijay Mushrooms was co-founded in 2018 by Howard Berk, a former IT professional, who had already launched a successful mushroom business, 2funguys. Today, Berk and his business partners produce an estimated 6,000 pounds per week of five types of shiitake and oyster mushrooms out of 10 greenhouses.
The Ellijay fungi can be found everywhere from mom-and-pop shops to Michelin-star restaurants throughout the southeast and beyond, and in over 40 southeast farmers’ markets, community supported agriculture programs and major grocery chains.
Berk’s interest in fungi started at a young age, an internet-free era, which he spent outdoors, chasing grasshoppers and playing in the woods. Mushrooms, in particular, piqued his fascination, and took him to the library, where he’d look up which were edible and which were poisonous.
To grow great mushrooms, the secret is in the water. Since mushrooms are made up of 90 percent water, Berk calls the area’s cold, clean mountain streams the “Rolls Royce” of waters, making Ellijay the ideal growing grounds.
Another unique aspect: The farm shares the 171 acres of surrounding land with a Buddhist monastery of the America Dhamma Society—so you might even catch a glimpse of a monk or nun walking in the distance.
