Prithviraj had job offers in Paris after completing his master's degree in international business at SKEMA Business School. Instead of staying in France, he returned to India to pursue farming and stay close to his family. He now runs an oyster mushroom farm in Devanahalli, Bengaluru, that generates around Rs 4 lakh in monthly revenue.
The idea took shape in 2019, after his family's poultry farm shut down. Rather than let the existing infrastructure go unused, Prithviraj decided to convert the poultry shed into a mushroom farm.
“I realised that I wanted to be close to my family in India and do something related to farming,” he told 30Stades.
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A friend first introduced him to button mushroom cultivation in 2019, sparking his interest in the business. After returning from France, he enrolled in a training programme at the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR) to learn more about mushroom farming.
Although he initially considered growing button mushrooms, Prithviraj eventually opted for oyster mushrooms because they are easier to cultivate and require a lower initial investment.
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Before investing in the farm, Prithviraj tested the idea on a small scale. In 2025, he bought 2 kg of oyster mushroom spawn and prepared 10 bags using paddy straw sourced free of cost.
The bags began producing pinheads in about 22 days, with each bag yielding around 800 grams of mushrooms. The first trial produced approximately 8 kg, which he distributed among friends and relatives.
After the successful results, he began modifying the old poultry shed. In March 2025, he started commercial production with 25 bags in an area of around 50 square feet. The first flush yielded about 15 kg, followed by another 6 kg from the second flush. The operation has since expanded to around 4,000 bags at different stages of production.
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The farm currently produces approximately 1,350 kg of oyster mushrooms a month, or around 45 kg a day. At an average selling price of Rs 320 per kg, the output and price translate to monthly revenue of roughly Rs 4 lakh.
Prithviraj supplies mushrooms to local vegetable markets, supermarkets, retail outlets, companies and quick-commerce platform Zepto. Alongside running the farm, Prithviraj has started training people interested in mushroom cultivation.
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