:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Why-More-Shoppers-Are-Skipping-the-Mushroom-Aisle-and-Growing-Their-Own-FT-BLOG0425-01-f2834e6659dc48a1b41d3a5124875374.jpg?w=1024&resize=1024,1024&ssl=1 "High Food Costs Drive a Mushroom-Growing Movement Across the US")
Key points
- U.S. shoppers imported over $1.2 billion in mushrooms in 2021 but rising tariffs are changing habits.
- Home mushroom kits are surging as inflation drives demand for low-cost, high-protein foods.
- Brands like North Spore are seeing record interest as Americans seek food independence at home.
Backyard growing isn’t just for tomatoes anymore. As tariffs and rising costs hit the mushroom aisle, a small but growing number of shoppers are turning to fruiting blocks and log kits instead.
According to U.S. trade data, The United States imported more than $1.2 billion worth of mushrooms in 2021, with top suppliers including Canada, Mexico, and China. As tariff pressures mount and global trade remains uncertain, home mushroom growing is gaining new appeal. One company seeing this shift up close is North Spore, a Maine-based brand that manufactures its entire product line in-house — including fruiting blocks, tinctures, and grow kits.
“Where people once used Spray & Grow kits to grow singular flushes of mushrooms, they now seem to be migrating to growing systems and products that produce an abundance of food,” said Matt McInnis, co-founder of North Spore. “As food costs continue to grow, people seem to be looking for alternatives to shopping at the grocery store.”
These kits use pre-inoculated substrates to grow gourmet mushrooms with minimal effort. Countertop-friendly species like lion’s mane and oyster mushrooms are especially popular, while outdoor gardeners are turning to Wine Cap spawn, which can grow under mulch or shrubs. The draw? Homegrown mushrooms are protein-rich, low-maintenance, and adaptable to a variety of climates.
“Mushrooms can be grown on your kitchen counter, in shady parts of your garden, or even in the mulch underneath ornamental shrubs,” McInnis explained. “They aren’t as finicky as many vegetable plants and can produce harvests throughout the spring, summer, and fall.”
Courtesy of North Spore
The shift reflects broader trends in food autonomy and inflation fatigue. Shoppers are reevaluating what it means to eat affordably and sustainably.
“Our customers are increasingly skeptical of our heavily processed food supply chain,” McInnis noted. “And they’re interested in taking back control of feeding themselves and their families.”
Whether this becomes a permanent shift or just a seasonal hobby, mushrooms are clearly joining the grow-your-own movement. From lion’s mane’s cognitive health potential to the meaty flushes of Wine Caps, the next wave of food independence might just be fungal.