Our Story
An aspiring entrepreneur and a German globetrotter. How did these diverse paths converge to form the foundation of Fogo Fungi? Here is how our journey began.
In early 2022, our founder, Ryan, stumbled upon a documentary on how fungi, particularly mushrooms, were grown. He was fascinated by the immense potential of mushrooms as sources of food, medicine, and materials, but quickly became perplexed by the lack of quality, freshness, and variety available in the region.
Ryan recognised a significant gap in the industry and immersed himself in the field to gain a deeper understanding of the issue. He conducted extensive research by volunteering at local vegetable farms and working at an insect farming startup dedicated to valorising food waste.
(Local vegetable farm that Ryan volunteered at)
(Black Soldier Fly Insect Farm)
After developing the necessary agritech knowledge, skills, and experience, Ryan took the leap of faith in 2023. However, he was still in need of a few like-minded allies.
Ryan persuaded Felix, that both met during their university exchange programme in Mexico. After a few phone calls, Felix, then completing his Master’s Programme in Portugal, Lisbon, decided to make a one-way trip across the globe armed with nothing but a backpack, a laptop, and grand ambitions to change the agrifoodtech industry.
United by a shared vision and a fervent dream of creating a more sustainable future, the founding pillars of Fogo Fungi were formed.
Fogo Fungi began in the confines of Ryan’s 3-bedroom house. He utilised every inch of his home, the top of his microwave, the toilet, and even sacrificed his Maggi mee storage space in the cabinets, to cultivate mushrooms. The makeshift mushroom operations then expanded to the spare bedroom of a friend's house where various prototypes and iterations of mushroom technology were developed.
(Felix's first steps out of Singapore Changi Airport)
(Mushroom bags in Ryan's kitchen)
(Make-shift laboratory in a spare bedroom)
(Our first few mycelium experiments!)
Fast forward to today, after persevering through the constraints of limited, low-budget equipment and small, improvised farming setups, we have successfully secured a 4000sqft pilot facility in Tuas, Singapore. This enables our customers to experience better, fresher, and different mushrooms closer to home.
Our journey has only just begun. We invite you to join us as we revolutionise the world of fungi together!
Meet the Team
We are an incredibly diverse team comprising spirited individuals, driven by a genuine and deep-rooted love for fungi. We’re determined to push the boundaries of innovative technology to produce fresh, great-tasting mushrooms that also sustain our precious planet.
