This Friday, June 5, the owners of Long Beach Mushrooms will gather local members of the community to talk about the business and its future at an event dubbed Vision Night.
Long Beach Mushrooms originally launched in 2020 as a small urban mushroom farm, based out of owners Justin and Mia Nguyen’s garage. The business has since expanded, and now provides fresh, local mushrooms to its customers, farmers markets, chefs at restaurants around Southern California, and more.
The pair now produces about 1,000 pounds of mushrooms for its clientele each week. But as the business has grown, so too have its expenses. So the Nguyens are hosting the event this Friday not only as a way to strengthen their community connections, but to potentially fundraise for Long Beach Mushrooms’ future.
Justin and Mia Nguyen, owners of Long Beach Mushrooms, with their sons. (Photo courtesy of Long Beach Mushrooms).
Long Beach Mushrooms started as a small urban farm in 2020, and now produces more than 1,000 pounds of fungi for its clientele every week. (Photo courtesy of Long Beach Mushrooms).
Justin and Mia Nguyen, owners of Long Beach Mushrooms, with their sons. (Photo courtesy of Long Beach Mushrooms).
Long Beach Mushrooms started as a small urban farm in 2020, and now produces more than 1,000 pounds of fungi for its clientele every week. (Photo courtesy of Long Beach Mushrooms).
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Justin and Mia Nguyen, owners of Long Beach Mushrooms, with their sons. (Photo courtesy of Long Beach Mushrooms).
I sat down with them to learn about their story, their business, and their plans for the future.
Q: Tell me a little about your history.
A: “Long Beach Mushrooms started in our garage in 2020 with a simple idea: grow food where it’s eaten. What began as a small experiment quickly grew into a full-time family business serving farmers markets, restaurants, grocery stores, and our local community.
Today, we produce about 1,000 pounds of mushrooms each week and work with everyone from local chefs to major venues throughout Southern California.
For us, it’s always been about more than mushrooms. It’s about reconnecting people to their food, supporting local agriculture, and proving that meaningful food production can happen right here in the middle of the city.”
Q: Tell me about Vision Night and Honeycomb Credit.
A: “Vision Night is an opportunity for our community to come together and hear where we’re headed next. We’ll be sharing the story of Long Beach Mushrooms, the lessons we’ve learned along the way, and our vision for the next five, ten, and even twenty years.
We’re also currently raising capital through Honeycomb Credit, a crowdfunding platform that allows everyday people, not just wealthy investors, to invest directly in small businesses they believe in. We love that it gives our customers, friends, and supporters an opportunity to become part of the story and participate in the future growth of the farm.”
Q: Do you feel out of your comfort zone with crowdfunding?
A: “Absolutely. Asking people to invest in your dream requires a level of vulnerability that we’re not used to. As farmers, we’re much more comfortable growing mushrooms than talking about raising capital.
That said, crowdfunding has also been incredibly encouraging because it reminds us how many people genuinely believe in what we’re building. It’s been humbling to see customers, friends, and community members step forward and support the vision.”
Q: What are some of your favorite collaborations? Are there certain chefs you enjoy working with?
A: “One of the most rewarding parts of this business has been collaborating with chefs. We love seeing what creative people do with our mushrooms.
We’ve been fortunate to work with incredible restaurants throughout Southern California, from neighborhood favorites to nationally recognized chefs. Rather than a single favorite, what we enjoy most is partnering with chefs who are passionate about quality ingredients and who share our commitment to supporting local agriculture.
Some of our favorite collaborations have also happened outside the restaurant world through schools, community organizations, farmers markets, and local events where we get to introduce people to mushrooms for the very first time.”
Q: How can people who miss Vision Night get involved?
A: “There are plenty of ways to support Long Beach Mushrooms. People can visit us at local farmers markets, purchase our products online, take one of our educational classes, follow along on social media, or learn more about our crowdfunding campaign through Honeycomb Credit.
Most importantly, we encourage people to support local farms and local food systems. Every dollar spent with a local producer helps strengthen the community.”
Q: Anything else to add?
A: “Long Beach has supported us from the very beginning, and we’re incredibly grateful. Vision Night isn’t just about our farm, it’s about celebrating what’s possible when a community gets behind local businesses and local food production.
We’re excited about the future and honored that so many people have chosen to be part of the journey.”
To RSVP for Vision Night with Long Beach Mushrooms, visit shorturl.at/g5Y46.