Three years ago, Michael Frederick, co-owner of Lone Star Mushrooms, said he hated mushrooms so much he would get upset if there was one on his pizza. Now, Frederick is a mushroom farmer in Tomball, launching his business in 2019.
“At that time it was just straight up a business opportunity, a way to get out of the rat race. ... [I] literally knew nothing about mushrooms,” he said.Frederick said he is originally from Pennsylvania and a family of farmers. In 2019, he wanted to sell hydroponic lettuce at the Tomball Farmers Market and was told there was an abundance of vendors selling greens, but the market was looking for a mushroom vendor.
Frederick said he involved his two brothers, Ben and John, and at their first Tomball Farmers Market, they sold eight pounds of mushrooms in the first 30 minutes. Now, the brothers produce about 1,400 pounds of mushrooms a week and sell to restaurants, to wholesalers, online and at four farmers markets.
“I love every aspect of it, from the process of how they grow, how fast they grow, the different varieties, the flavor they bring, the cool things you can cook with them,” Frederick said. Lone Star Mushrooms grows nine different mushroom varieties and sells mushroom grow kits, mushroom extract, jerky and coffee.
