In a quiet warehouse on the outskirts of Raglan, lines of tall shelving units are filled with inoculated substrate bags.

They are all at different stages of sprouting delicate, pale, coral-like fronds.

It is here that the mysterious Hericium novae-zealandiae, a native New Zealand fungus, is being cultivated.

Also known as pekepeke-kiore, it is a close relative to lion’s mane (Hericium erinaceus) - the world’s most researched mushroom for brain health.

It’s recognised for its medicinal properties and support of focus, memory and nerve growth - a food for the brain.

Food for thought

Seasoned mushroom grower Sean Mills already has an established mushroom business with his wife, Emily Eldin, supplying gourmet mushroom grow bags for people to grow at home.

“I’ve always been interested in lion’s mane and the extensive research demonstrating of how it can support brain function and health, but I wasn’t satisfied with what I saw in the rest of the market, and I wasn’t willing to compromise on quality with imported powders,” Mills said.

New Zealand biosecurity laws do not allow the import of live Asian lion’s mane cultures, only the dried, powdered product.

“Powders from countries with different regulations may contain contaminants like heavy metals, pesticide residues and microbes which may negatively affect the efficacy of the end supplement.”

Mills didn’t want to import another country’s mushrooms when Aotearoa has its own incredible fungi ecosystem.

He began research on pekepeke-kiore in 2020 with a goal to cultivate the cleanest “brain food” supplement locally.

“During 2021, I managed to grow a consistent, repeatable crop that we sold to restaurants,” he said.

“Then, as our volumes increased, I started to dry the excess, and I took some daily in coffee as a supplement.

“I noticed the brain-boosting benefits immediately.”

Mynd is born

The team at Mynd: Fraser McConnell (left), Emily Eldin, Dana Gray and Sean Mills.

Fast-forward to 2023, and Mynd was born from a breakthrough in Mills’s research.

An independent bioactive compound test by Callaghan Innovation indicated that Mynd’s NZ lion’s mane mushroom extract was the first of its kind to contain both erinacines and hericenones, the bioactives credited to the cognitive health benefits of the international variety.

“We were aware that nerve growth-stimulating erinacines in lion’s mane mushrooms are most present in the mycelium, not the fruiting body,” Mills said.

“We developed a cultivation technique that allows us to harvest pure mycelia.

“Combining the mycelia and mushroom fruiting bodies results in an extract rich in bioactive compounds.

“Our heat extraction process ensures bioavailability and retains a wide spectrum of beneficial compounds.”

Mynd is a collaboration between Mills, Eldin, Dana Gray and Fraser McConnell and is the result of four years dedicated to growing and studying NZ lion’s mane.

Mills, Eldin and a team carry out the science and production.

Gray and McConnell oversee product, design and marketing.

The mushroom merry-go-round

Harvested mushrooms being prepared for drying.

The NZ lion’s mane growth cycle starts in the lab, and Mills maintains the cultures.

“To get a weekly crop of 400kgs of fresh mushrooms, the cycle begins four months prior, with me starting the first stage in the lab,” he said.

“It’s very full on with no downtime, but we have a talented team supporting us.”

The main grow room is well insulated to regulate temperature, and a forced air flow regulates humidity.

Records of the temperature and humidity ensure optimal growing conditions, replicating a similar climate to that of a native forest.

About 2 to 5% of fruiting bags get contaminated by competing bacteria in the early stages of the process, and they are removed from the grow room.

Following harvest, the fruiting body and mycelium undergo a controlled, heat-extraction process that breaks down the cell walls (chitin), improving the bioavailability of key bioactive compounds. Independent third-party testing for contaminants by Hill Laboratories ensures product purity.

“We have all the factory equipment onsite to create a high-quality NZ lion’s mane supplement,” Mills said.

“We have worked closely with customers to develop a variety of products they love, including the pure supplement in powder form and capsule form, plus coffee and chocolate products in collaboration with local Raglan companies.”

The team at Mynd stand behind mushroom farming’s sustainability, requiring less land, water, and energy than many conventional crops.

The soybean hulls and pine sawdust in the grow bags are both by-products of other agricultural systems, and following harvesting, are broken down into a sought-after, rich mycelium compost.

While aware of the need to minimise plastics, Mynd currently relies on recyclable grow bags to keep the mushrooms safe from bacterial competition.

Mills was proud that they were the first mushroom farm in New Zealand dedicated to brain health, and were the 1% that grew their own in a market full of imported powders.

“From spore to supplement, right here in Raglan, NZ, in some of the cleanest air on earth.”