Yorkshire Mushroom Emporium, Leeds-based Start Up Loan recipient
Yorkshire Mushroom Emporium is a Leeds-based urban mushroom farm dedicated to sustainable food production and reconnecting people with where their food comes from. Founded in 2021 by five friends passionate about growing food, the business began in a garage and has since expanded into a fully equipped growing facility. The business is now run by Niall Johnston and Ed Elcock.
Yorkshire Mushroom Emporium supplies fresh gourmet mushrooms to restaurants, greengrocers and cafés across West Yorkshire. Alongside business-to-business sales, it offers mushroom-growing kits for use at home, which are available via the Yorkshire Mushroom Emporium website, Etsy, and selected retailers. These are particularly popular during the Christmas period.
Committed to education and community engagement, Yorkshire Mushroom Emporium launched hands-on workshops and foraging experiences in 2024, which were run locally around Leeds. These sessions teach participants about wild mushrooms, sustainable food systems, and include interactive tastings.
With Start Up Loans funding support from the Business Enterprise Fund, Yorkshire Mushroom Emporium has scaled up its production, invested in an autoclave – a specialist piece of kit that produces sterile substrate to make starter culture, reducing Yorkshire Mushroom Emporium’s overheads. The funding also enabled Niall and Ed to go full time within the business, allowing them to dedicate time to supporting its overall growth.
With ambitious growth plans, Yorkshire Mushroom Emporium aims to reach maximum production capacity, expand its educational offerings, and explore broader food-growing projects - all while maintaining a strong focus on sustainability and local food networks.
“The Start Up Loans we secured from Business Enterprise Fund have been super important in supporting YME’s growth. Without it, we’d have struggled to buy our autoclave, which ultimately saves us money and allows us to develop part of our product in house, rather than having to buy this elsewhere. I’d encourage anyone thinking of setting up a business to reach out to Business Enterprise Fund and enquire about a Start Up Loan – it could be the start of an amazing adventure like it has been for us!”
Niall Johnston, co-founder and Managing Director of Yorkshire Mushroom Emporium
Businesses can access Start Up Loans ranging from £500 to £25,000, along with mentoring support by visiting https://www.befund.org.
As an official Business Support Partner for the Start Up Loan programme, Business Enterprise Fund operates within a network of Business Support Partners, delivering Start Up Loans in the range of £500 to £25,000 across the UK.