Home > Mushroom Cultivation Experts > Mushroom Tribe – Fang Shi Wen > Q&A
The Painting Work of the Group Photo Taken When Interviewing Manager Fang
Interview Process
Q：What motivated you to start Mushroom Tribe ?
A：The purposes for me to start Mushroom Tribe are as follows. First, I want to offer children a place to get educational entertainment. We hope for children to get to know how mushrooms are cultivated and gain knowledge about mushrooms, such as the role they play in the environment. Second, we want children to participate in Food and Agriculture Education to see how mushrooms are grown until they are on the plates. They can get to learn the whole process of mushrooms cultivation.
Q：In what direction is Mushroom Tribe heading toward ? And what obstacles are Mushroom Tribe facing ?
A：For now, Mushroom Tribe is primary a tourist farm, and production is secondary. Yet, there is a farm mainly cultivating mushrooms behind Mushroom Tribe, so it can grow better mushrooms and make better dishes in Mushroom Tribe restaurant. Customers can also purchase healthier and more delicious products – ranging from fresh mushrooms to mushroom cuisine and products - in the store. The obstacles we are currently facing are how to import different kinds of mushrooms from other countries so that the consumers can have a taste of American, Korean or Japanese mushrooms? For example, Abalone mushrooms are imported from Japan. Also, how to make delicious meals that cater to the taste of customers is a challenge for us.
Q：Mushroom Tribe is mainly a tourist farm, but have you thought about adding different industry elements in it ?
A： We have to figure out what the customers need; not what Mushroom Tribe wants.
Manager Fang Gave Us Obalonus that Pets’ Can Eat
Q：Could you develop mushrooms that animals can eat ?
A：The mushrooms or their processed foods that dogs like have already existed. For instance, my dogs love king oyster mushrooms and abalone mushrooms. Yet, if the mushrooms are for animals, they cannot be too salty and greasy. They provide rich nutrition and high protein, so they are great food for dogs, too.
Q：How to create a win-win situation in a competitive environment ?
A： It is difficult at certain levels, because the market is only this big. If the customers choose to buy mushrooms from Mushroom Tribe, they won’t buy mushrooms from other farms.
Q：What to do to make customers buy mushrooms from Mushroom Tribe and also from other farms ?
A：Develop recipes that need different mushrooms from different farms, so that the customers will buy more mushrooms. Or inform the customers that the mushrooms grown on Mushroom Tribe are different in nutrition, smell and taste from those on other farms, so to eat healthier and more delicious, they should try different kinds of mushrooms because mushrooms are rich in glutamic acid which influences brain cells’ composition. The amino acids in mushrooms is called glutamic acids and it is a significant element to form brain cells; therefore, Japanese call mushrooms intelligence- increasing mushrooms. As its name suggests, eating mushrooms helps to increase intelligence. Surely, eating mushrooms not only helps to increase intelligence, but also helps to make people healthier.
Q：Did COVID19 pose any impact on the cooperation with foreign business ?
A：It surely did because we cannot go abroad. Yet, thanks to video communication, it reduces the impact. However, we still encountered some hurdles, especially in March and April, we saw a plunge in the need of mushrooms. Everyone stopped going to dine in restaurants and schools put off the start of the new semester, so there is no profit in institutional food service.
Q：Is there any new marketing channel strategy developed responding to COVID 19?
A：Although the need of mushrooms is reduced because the epidemic influenced restaurants, people still have to eat. They have to cook at homes. They buy ingredients in traditional markets or through other channels that they are familiar with or that do not require body contact, such as home delivery. Home delivery, especially community-oriented group buying, has become fairly popular because it is convenient and free from boy contact; therefore, we have seen a huge progress in such marketing. They can get mushrooms fresher than those bought from supermarkets or traditional markets because the head of the group buying order directly from us and give the fresh mushrooms promptly to customers with cheaper prices.
A：The purposes for me to start Mushroom Tribe are as follows. First, I want to offer children a place to get educational entertainment. We hope for children to get to know how mushrooms are cultivated and gain knowledge about mushrooms, such as the role they play in the environment. Second, we want children to participate in Food and Agriculture Education to see how mushrooms are grown until they are on the plates. They can get to learn the whole process of mushrooms cultivation.
Q：In what direction is Mushroom Tribe heading toward ? And what obstacles are Mushroom Tribe facing ?
A：For now, Mushroom Tribe is primary a tourist farm, and production is secondary. Yet, there is a farm mainly cultivating mushrooms behind Mushroom Tribe, so it can grow better mushrooms and make better dishes in Mushroom Tribe restaurant. Customers can also purchase healthier and more delicious products – ranging from fresh mushrooms to mushroom cuisine and products - in the store. The obstacles we are currently facing are how to import different kinds of mushrooms from other countries so that the consumers can have a taste of American, Korean or Japanese mushrooms? For example, Abalone mushrooms are imported from Japan. Also, how to make delicious meals that cater to the taste of customers is a challenge for us.
Q：Mushroom Tribe is mainly a tourist farm, but have you thought about adding different industry elements in it ?
A： We have to figure out what the customers need; not what Mushroom Tribe wants.
Visiting Mushroom Tribe
Manager Fang Gave Us Obalonus that Pets’ Can Eat
Q：Could you develop mushrooms that animals can eat ?
A：The mushrooms or their processed foods that dogs like have already existed. For instance, my dogs love king oyster mushrooms and abalone mushrooms. Yet, if the mushrooms are for animals, they cannot be too salty and greasy. They provide rich nutrition and high protein, so they are great food for dogs, too.
Q：How to create a win-win situation in a competitive environment ?
A： It is difficult at certain levels, because the market is only this big. If the customers choose to buy mushrooms from Mushroom Tribe, they won’t buy mushrooms from other farms.
Q：What to do to make customers buy mushrooms from Mushroom Tribe and also from other farms ?
A：Develop recipes that need different mushrooms from different farms, so that the customers will buy more mushrooms. Or inform the customers that the mushrooms grown on Mushroom Tribe are different in nutrition, smell and taste from those on other farms, so to eat healthier and more delicious, they should try different kinds of mushrooms because mushrooms are rich in glutamic acid which influences brain cells’ composition. The amino acids in mushrooms is called glutamic acids and it is a significant element to form brain cells; therefore, Japanese call mushrooms intelligence- increasing mushrooms. As its name suggests, eating mushrooms helps to increase intelligence. Surely, eating mushrooms not only helps to increase intelligence, but also helps to make people healthier.
Q：Did COVID19 pose any impact on the cooperation with foreign business ?
A：It surely did because we cannot go abroad. Yet, thanks to video communication, it reduces the impact. However, we still encountered some hurdles, especially in March and April, we saw a plunge in the need of mushrooms. Everyone stopped going to dine in restaurants and schools put off the start of the new semester, so there is no profit in institutional food service.
Q：Is there any new marketing channel strategy developed responding to COVID 19?
A：Although the need of mushrooms is reduced because the epidemic influenced restaurants, people still have to eat. They have to cook at homes. They buy ingredients in traditional markets or through other channels that they are familiar with or that do not require body contact, such as home delivery. Home delivery, especially community-oriented group buying, has become fairly popular because it is convenient and free from boy contact; therefore, we have seen a huge progress in such marketing. They can get mushrooms fresher than those bought from supermarkets or traditional markets because the head of the group buying order directly from us and give the fresh mushrooms promptly to customers with cheaper prices.
Data Compilation : Tsun Shang Vanguard
Photos : Taken/ Edited by Tsun Shang Vanguard
References : Narrations, Edited by Tsun Shang Vanguard
Photos : Taken/ Edited by Tsun Shang Vanguard
References : Narrations, Edited by Tsun Shang Vanguard
