“Just a few years ago mushrooms were thought to be non-nutritious. Now, through advanced extraction and analytical technologies, science is revealing that specific fungi are in fact able to treat advanced disease like no other medicine can.”
“In a kingdom of their own, Fungi rule the ecosystem – without fungi life as we know it would not exist. Interestingly, fungi are more closely related to the Animal Kingdom than the Plant Kingdom. What that means, is that we (humans) have more in common with fungi than with plants. Plants need the Sun to create food, but did you know that fungi hunt for food? Plants breathe Carbon Dioxide and expel Oxygen, whereas fungi breathe Oxygen and expel Carbon Dioxide, just as we (humans) do. The list of similarities between fungi and human gene structures are so astounding that you are left to wonder; is this the reason that fungi are so effective in treating human disease?”
“In South Africa, mushroom cultivators are producing products that will astound you! You will be surprised to know what is available right on your doorstep! There are companies that sell mushroom grow kits, offer workshops, courses, sell cultivation supplies, and now also offer medicinal mushroom products,” says Craig Fourie, founder of Mushroom Guru.
Background
South African mushroom cultivators truly hold their own alongside world leading pioneers in this field, and may very well be on the leading edge.
One such company is Mushroom Guru (Pty) Ltd. situated in Strand, Western Cape. Mushroom Guru is creating a medicinal mushroom extract, MG-LZ8, that has the potential to change the face of healthcare on a global scale – A tale to inspire!
Craig and Nikki Fourie, the owners of Mushroom Guru, moved to Somerset West in 2008 from Port Elizabeth. On arriving in Somerset West, Nikki worked in corporate logistics and Craig left his career in mechanical engineering in the automotive industry and started building a new business with the hope that they would both someday work together in the business.
Craig knew that any modern business wouldn’t be visible globally without a website and he therefore undertook to design and built the website himself, which he launched in May 2013. Craig’s extensive mechanical engineering and mechanical design background along with his qualification as a Tool Jig & Die Maker, allowed him to put his practical skills and his love for mushrooms to the best use; to build a mushroom company that has a global impact!
The business has humble beginnings, starting up in the double garage of Craig and Nikki’s home in Somerset West in 2013, with a mere R56.00 in Craig’s bank account. Craig’s inspiration to start a mushroom business came from his experience using and growing medicinal mushrooms some 25 years ago. The intention behind the business is to teach and inspire people to grow their own food and to learn about and experience the benefits of using medicinal mushrooms.
This “medicinal journey” is of utmost importance to Craig and Nikki, both having lost their mothers to breast cancer. “We would like to bring valuable information on medicinal mushrooms and their effectiveness in targeting disease to as many as possible, information that was not available when our mothers were diagnosed,” Craig continues.
In 2014 Nikki finally left a corporate consulting career to join Craig and together they work on “their business of the heart”, sharing their knowledge and touching lives. To date they have trained over 400 people in their weekend mushroom workshops and a further 112 people in the Advanced Fungi Culturing Course. Craig can openly share all his knowledge on gourmet cultivation and has chosen to specialise in growing medicinal mushrooms, thereby not competing with his course graduates in the same market.
Products
“We cultivate a medicinal mushroom called Reishi, using our own proprietary cultivating and extraction methods, from which a powerful medicinal extract is created.”
“These two factors result in a highly effective extract, MG-LZ8, which is the cornerstone for our GanodermaGold™ product range of capsules, tinctures, skin serums and animal products. The MG-LZ8 in GanodermaGold™ products is an exceptionally effective adaptogen and is used for reducing inflammation, boosting the immune system, 
enhancing cognitive function, regulating the endocrine system, balancing hormones, regulating the blood and reducing anxiety, to name just a few of the benefits. In China and Japan medicinal mushrooms are also widely recognised for their ability to treat advanced diseases like Cancer.”
“The products have attracted attention in USA, Asia and Europe and plans are underway to begin selling and distributing the products abroad,” Craig explains.
Mushroom Guru was also recently featured in ‘Nisboere’, a series that featured on niche farming that aired on DSTV 
channel 147. The series was aimed at creating a platform to expose small scale farmers, with new or niche practices, that started up with relatively little funding.
The series takes the form of a competition and each featured company is rated on its commercial viability, strategy implementation and expansion potential.
Mushroom Guru was included in the final five and were placed second in the Season 4 competition which aired on 30th July 2019, winning them a 5-day cruise to Mozambique.
For more information about Mushroom Guru (Pty) Ltd contact 021 854 5126 or visit www.mushroomguru.co.za
