Austin Schatz and Jonathan Vantman, two of the founders and growers for Westchester Mushroom Company, first began farming together in Ossining, NY in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. As global supply chains crumbled and grocery store shelves emptied, it became clear that people like us needed to step up and grow food in our own communities.

Initially involved in a broader effort in organic farming, we managed hundreds of pasture-raised, egg-laying chickens and several greenhouses full of tomatoes. In 2021, Benny Liu approached us with the idea of growing gourment mushrooms. Some experiments growing oyster mushrooms yielded some surprising results — we were stunned by the quality of our mushrooms.

We quickly realized why we had never seen specialty mushrooms of this quality in local restaurants or grocery stores. Mushrooms require extremely specific growing conditions and don’t retain their quality well when shipped. A challenge made and met! We now have our own growing facilities, carefully monitored and maintained. The mushrooms we deliver to you were harvested a matter of hours, not days ago. 

Launched as an independent commercial enterprise in late 2021, our mission is to become the premier supplier of specialty mushrooms for the Hudson Valley. You can find our mushrooms on the menus of some of your favorite local restaurants right now, and we are working on launching subscription boxes for mushroom lovers to enjoy at home soon. Stay in touch!