By Desire Tshuma
Gweru – Midlands Mushroom Academy, founded in 2019 by Shumirai Engelbert Kadiki, is preparing to open what it says will be Zimbabwe’s largest factory for button and oyster mushroom production by year end.
Kadiki is credited as the driving force behind the initiative. “The whole credit goes to the lady who has been training you, Shumirai Engelbert Kadiki. She is the brains behind this great initiative,” a representative of the Academy said. The business has been operating in the mushroom industry since 2019, and this year launched its own setup and standards for production across the country and abroad.
The Academy’s production centre is based in Midlands, but the team has been traveling around Zimbabwe offering free workshops to train new growers. Kadiki said the Academy now also supplies mushroom spawn, the material used as mushroom seed, and is running free training programs nationwide to build a network of outgrowers.
Douglas Mushayavanhu, the Academy’s Procurement and Logistics officer, emphasized the role of efficient supply chains in scaling the operation to meet both local and export demand.
Beyond domestic supply, the Academy has entered international markets for medicinal mushrooms used in pharmaceuticals. It expects to begin exporting Lion’s Mane mushroom powder by August at US$80 per kilogram.
Capital remains a key challenge. Kadiki said Zimbabwean banks rarely extend loans to SMEs without collateral or civil service status. “The only challenge that we are currently facing in Zimbabwe is the capital aspect,” he said. “But despite that, mushroom pays very well and if you have discipline you can go higher and higher.”
She called for more government support to help local SMEs attract investors. “If the government can help us as local SMEs get investors we can do great,” Kadiki said.