Mushroom Buddies gives employment for folks with mental disabilities
Have you ever ever tried contemporary, regionally grown mushrooms? In the event you frequent farmers’ markets, you might need come throughout a bunch of people with particular wants proudly promoting mushrooms they’ve cultivated themselves. These freshly picked mushrooms come from Mushroom Buddies, a social enterprise run by individuals with mental disabilities underneath the co-operative E4PID — quick for Employment for Individuals with Mental Disabilities.
We spoke with William Teo, a father to a baby with mental disabilities and present chairman of E4PID, to learn the way the initiative sprouted, and what it takes to develop mushrooms — and significant employment — in Singapore.
E4PID is the organisation behind Mushroom Buddies
E4PID is the co-operative behind Mushroom Buddies. Based in 2011 by a bunch of oldsters of youngsters with particular wants, the intention was to enhance the standard of lifetime of their kids and others with comparable challenges.
Whereas they believed that charities play an vital function, these organisations typically lack the enterprise experience to create long-term, sustainable employment. To vary that, these mother and father opted to construct a social enterprise that gives actual jobs and salaries for individuals with mental disabilities.
Their downside was clear: after graduating from particular colleges at 18, many people with mental disabilities battle to search out work. Even those that safe positions in open employment — workplaces the place they work together with the remainder of the inhabitants — typically face difficulties sustaining their jobs with out sufficient assist.
“Like anybody else, individuals with disabilities should have choices and alternatives to decide on what sort of work they need to do,” William mentioned. “Significant employment enhances their high quality of life.”
Right now, 5 of E4PID’s 10 board members are actively concerned in operating Mushroom Buddies, together with William. As a co-operative, E4PID actively channels income again to its members and workers, which suggests salaries are dictated by its earnings.
E4PID can be an affiliate member of the Singapore Nationwide Co-operative Federation (SNCF) — the nationwide apex physique that helps, represents, and connects co-operatives throughout Singapore.
From partnerships to independence: the early days of Mushroom Buddies
Beginning as a pilot challenge in 2012 as a partnership with Everbloom Mushroom Farm, E4PID supplied 12 individuals with particular wants the chance to work on the farm.
In response to William, round 30% of individuals with mental disabilities find yourself in day care centres with out employment, a 3rd should not actively engaged in work, and solely a small minority maintain open employment, comparable to at shops like Uniqlo, performing duties comparable to amassing and sorting garments at becoming rooms.
“With out correct assist, people with mental disabilities typically lose their jobs,” he defined. “At E4PID, we intention to shut the hole between open and sheltered employment.
In Oct 2021, Mushroom Buddies formally started life, supported by a container donated by waste administration firm Blue Planet.
Mushroom Buddies: rising with objective
Right now, Mushroom Buddies operates out of three container tons situated at Sprout Hub, an city farm and neighborhood area situated within the former Henderson Secondary College constructing. Two containers function the farm, and one other is used for packing harvested mushrooms.
The staff contains eight employees with mental disabilities, supported by round 40 volunteers and a part-time supervisor. The staff come from voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs) comparable to The Down Syndrome Affiliation of Singapore, MINDS, and St. Andrew’s Autism Centre.
Every morning, a rotating staff of 4 to 5 volunteers works alongside the workers, fostering teamwork whereas permitting the staff to keep up independence of their duties. Mushroom Buddies additionally collaborates with these VWOs to discover increasing its city farming mannequin into their premises.
In response to William, sustainable open employment for individuals with particular wants stays a key problem in Singapore, as typical work environments typically don’t accommodate their skills. At Mushroom Buddies, the main target is on a secure, affected person, and versatile office, with manageable duties that empower workers to thrive.
Many volunteers had by no means interacted with individuals with particular wants earlier than becoming a member of the farm, however now work alongside them as true colleagues. William highlighted that this inclusive setting fosters a deep sense of neighborhood and camaraderie, boosting the vanity, psychological well-being, and bodily well being of workers and trainees alike.
The enterprise of mushrooms
Mushroom Buddies presently cultivates three premium mushroom varieties — pearl oyster, lion’s mane, and abalone mushrooms. These are priced round S$5.45–$9.90 a pack, relying on the range. William acknowledged the premium price ticket, however emphasised that a lot of the worth comes from the exhausting work of individuals with mental disabilities, who take possession and pleasure of their obligations.
“We need to give our employees a way of self-worth by a job that rewards them with a wage and permits them to be pleased with their exhausting work.”
These mushrooms are temperate varieties much less generally present in Singapore, and are natural, pesticide-free, and freshly packed on the market inside one to 2 days — not like imported mushrooms which might be typically chemically handled for longer shelf life.
They buy pre-inoculated logs (containing rice bran, sawdust, and mushroom spores) from a provider in Malaysia. As soon as in Singapore, the mushrooms are allowed to fruit for a few week earlier than harvesting. Every log yields mushrooms for 3 to 5 harvest cycles earlier than being thought of spent.
Some clients at farmer markets turned Mushroom Buddies’ companions, the place cooks resolve to collaborate after studying the story behind their mushrooms. Excessive-end eating places type the principle buyer base, with Black Cherry and Yhingthai Palace among the many notable stockists. On common, Mushroom Buddies produces 8–10 kilograms of mushrooms every day, and over 300 kilograms in good months.
Regardless of their quick one-week shelf life, nothing goes to waste. Unsold mushrooms are become merchandise like mushroom chips and pâté, out there through their web site or at farmers’ market pop-ups. Firms sometimes place bulk orders as presents for workers. Additionally they function a donor scheme the place surplus mushrooms and merchandise are distributed to aged houses and soup kitchens.
The by-products of mushroom farming — spent logs and meals waste — are processed by a composter, demonstrating Mushroom Buddies’ zero-waste, round farming mannequin. The ensuing compost is bought to gardeners and landscaping corporations, which use it in large-scale initiatives like Gardens by the Bay. The proceeds are reinvested into paying workers and sustaining the enterprise.
Staff usually work two to a few hours a day, paid hourly, a number of weekdays every week, relying on their preferences and availability. They take cost of duties comparable to harvesting, trimming, sorting, packaging, and cleansing. William recollects accommodating workers with specific wants — for instance, a claustrophobic worker was given different duties outdoors of the containers and have become a long-term staff member.
William highlighted: “This pseudo-sheltered mannequin provides them flexibility. They’ll work with pals whereas socialising with folks with out disabilities in a supportive setting. We engineer our work to suit the workers we now have.”
“We give attention to their skills as an alternative of their disabilities,” he added.
By producing regionally and sustainably, Mushroom Buddies additionally contributes to Singapore’s “30 by 30” purpose — to provide 30% of the nation’s dietary wants regionally by 2030.
Collaborations and initiatives
By means of a volunteer’s connection, Mushroom Buddies was launched to Floor-Up Initiative (GUI), which provided them area at its new Yishun facility to determine their subsequent farm and assist enlargement plans in 2026. Additionally they plan to introduce extra mushroom varieties on the new website with three climate-controlled containers.
To teach the bigger society, Mushroom Buddies hosts farm excursions, workshops, college and office displays, and company social duty (CSR) initiatives. These actions present alternatives for the neighborhood to have interaction with sustainability and inclusion whereas studying about the advantages of mushrooms firsthand.
“At Mushroom Buddies, it’s not simply concerning the enterprise but in addition about educating the broader neighborhood about differently-abled individuals and inclusion,” William mentioned.
“Individuals with or with out disabilities typically have no idea the best way to behave round each other attributable to an absence of interplay between the 2 teams. We need to improve that interplay with our work,” William highlighted. “We’re proud that our employees, who initially got here in reserved, later turned extra open and even attempt to interact with strangers after working with us.”
Mushroom Buddies has been recognised for its efforts previously 4 years. Some achievements embody profitable three consecutive years of SFA-approved organically grown mushrooms and clinching Honeycombers Sustainability Awards — Silver winner for Finest Sustainable Initiative with an Affect in 2024 and 2025.
Offering job alternatives for extra individuals with disabilities sooner or later
Wanting forward, the staff is decided to scale up manufacturing.
Their long-term hopes are to extend wages, create extra job alternatives for individuals with mental disabilities, and finally develop employment to incorporate individuals with different kinds of disabilities.
E4PID can be exploring different sectors to construct social enterprises, offering extra choices for individuals with disabilities to enhance their high quality of life. William speaks on behalf of oldsters with PWDs. On a bigger scale, E4PID hopes that Singapore will turn into extra inclusive and affected person with individuals with disabilities — by initiatives comparable to neighborhood care residences and broader job alternatives — so everybody can stay a fuller life.
- Discover out extra about Mushroom Buddies right here.
- Learn extra tales we’ve written on Singaporean companies right here.
Featured Picture Credit score: Mushroom Buddies
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