Faith Nyasuguta
In the lush highlands of southern Ethiopia, a quiet culinary revolution is taking root, led not by a seasoned chef or agricultural giant, but by a former truck driver turned mushroom mogul. At just 29 years old, Mikias Tadesse has gone from hauling cargo to cultivating kilos of gourmet mushrooms, transforming both his life and Ethiopia’s food landscape.
Tadesse’s journey began three years ago with a chance encounter. While working near a Chinese road construction camp in a remote village, he stumbled upon a curious, fleshy cluster of mushrooms growing in the camp’s backyard. Intrigued and unfamiliar with the fungi, which are rarely featured in traditional Ethiopian cuisine, he accepted an invitation from the Chinese chefs to try a mushroom dish.
“To my surprise, I really enjoyed the dish,” he recalls. That moment sparked not just a personal discovery, but a new life path.
Recognizing the nutritional value, short growth cycle, and market potential of mushrooms, Tadesse began to explore cultivation with the help of the Chinese workers. Their response was immediate and supportive. “They promised to help me get started,” he says. The Chinese agricultural experts, particularly those specializing in mushroom farming, provided him with technical knowledge, training, and quality mushroom spawns to jumpstart his venture.
Launching a mushroom farm in Ethiopia, however, came with its own unique set of challenges. The biggest? Convincing Ethiopians that mushrooms are food.
“Most people didn’t trust mushrooms. I had to educate them and persuade local markets to give my produce a chance,” he says. Tadesse walked door-to-door through Addis Ababa, approaching hotels, restaurants, and supermarkets. Rejections were frequent. Many outlets turned him away, citing poor customer interest.
Eventually, a few supermarkets took a gamble. Sales were slow at first. “I had to collect half the unsold mushrooms every few days,” Tadesse says. But his persistence paid off, curiosity grew, demand followed, and he found himself expanding operations.
Today, Tadesse runs four large mushroom sheds, each measuring 250 square meters, and employs 12 workers. His farm produces about 50 kilograms daily of Yellow mushrooms, King Trumpets, and Oysters , and it’s still not enough. “We’re struggling to meet the growing demand,” he admits.
Despite the tough beginnings, Tadesse remains grateful for the help he received. “The Chinese experts laid the foundation of this farm. Their support has been transformative,” he says, pointing out that he still uses premium spawns and tools provided by his mentors.
One of those mentors is Zheng Aibao, a 59-year-old Chinese mushroom expert, now on his third mission to Ethiopia. “I’m thrilled to see mushroom farming taking root here. It’s now active in at least five farms,” Zheng said.
As Tadesse looks to the future, he plans to deepen his expertise, begin exporting processed mushrooms, and continue promoting them as a staple food. “With the right support from the government and private sector, mushrooms can really enrich Ethiopian cuisine,” he says.
From humble beginnings and heaps of rejection, Tadesse is now harvesting not just mushrooms, but success.
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