Perseverance. Find it. Live it. Appreciate it.

We live in a world created by man, so whatever man has created, it is my understanding that any man can try to recreate it. Not to its perfection of the core intelligent design, but to the basic core concepts of what it may have the function of. But sometimes, that intelligent design is boosted in ability and something superior is born.

I grew up on Mushroom farms across the world, eating fresh Mushrooms off the beds when hungry. Those Chinese pickled Mushrooms enjoyed today in Canada and the United States, I had the privilege of trying them before they were canned and ready to be shipped across the world.

My true passion for mushrooms began in 2008. An opportunity opened for my father to own a farm again and we, as a family, took it. My initial involvement began with the writing of the business plan to gather the necessary funding for the project. Upon a successful acquisition, my position matured to Director of Farm Relations, working off-site, while at college. I was dealing with any municipal, provincial and/or federal communication the company required. I would visit the farm, but was not involved with any day to day operations as I was situated hours away. That all changed in early 2010, as the farm was in a tough position, I decided to move to the farm to help manage out of a difficult situation. At the time I felt that I knew nothing, but I was eager and willing to learn so that I could understand how I could help. Starting off with an empty slate is always something I suggest to anyone at the start of an upcoming battle. Every detail must be reassessed and analyzed to assure its worth and longevity within the process.

For the first few months on the farm, I worked every job. I needed to understand the operation in detail to outline the core principles of where we could be better. My feasibility study of the premises concluded major categories which required attention in order for the farm to reach its full potential.

Consistent weekly delivery of any type of compost is the lifeblood of any Mushroom farm growing white or brown strains. Whether Phase I, II or III, the weekly delivery is the only salvation to continue the cycle and assure your customer base that they will be taken care of with consistent supply. My father at the time was receiving compost whenever possible, meaning sometimes he would go for a few weeks without receiving shipment, which meant a few weeks of zero production in the upcoming future, depending on how many rooms were filled at the time. The cycle is delicate so continuation is not only based on consistency of delivery of compost, but its quality and disease control during production to assure and maximize the crop.

This was the first time that I was introduced to the sales of fresh Mushrooms. The farm just finished its second year of production and sales were $250K, for a farm that years prior, produced over a few million, thanks to consistency of Phase III compost and legitimate wholesale buyers. That May of 2010, I was introduced to the bottom feeders of our wholesale produce industry, the illegitimate wholesale market. Those are the people that have zero respect for the farm, for the farmers, or the individuals making it all happen. They will aim to squeeze every breath out of you and most of the time they do not care of your troubles or your needs of requirements to stay alive and continue the battle. Resolving this was primary as my father and the great people that made it all happen, deserved better. No matter if we produced a single box, or ten thousand a week, respect must be part of the ritual of a sales exchange. Without respect, we are nothing.

HACCP. You've probably heard of it. It stands for Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point. It is a food safety program that with its certification assures the customer that the product is coming from a safe quality food environment. I never heard of it prior to coming to the farm and it soon became my main focus. I noticed the more I talked to any legitimate potential future sales, HACCP came up. HACCP became the acronym that I began to hear in my sleep. It was the third piece of the puzzle, but one, I knew was vital to achieving our goals.

Identifying the core problems meant identifying the cost. When any company is dealt with a problem you look to the consultants and those that know better than you, however sometimes those that walk through those doors care more about themselves then they do about the people they are trying to help. For HACCP at our farm, three separate companies, three offers; $75K, $95K and $105K with a promise to complete all within a year. Training, resources, you name it. There were sales pitches that were too good to be true, but we needed it. Without it, we could not sign new clients, without it, no major brand would give us the light of day. But with two years of losses at the farm to date, money was scarce and it came down to paying for ingredients and people or into a program that might take too long to reach our salvation. The only way to do it was to do it by ourselves. The puzzle pieces were all laid out on the table, now we just had to align them together in the most efficient way possible to assure success and growth.

Step 1: Consistency of Compost

To walk up to any major buyer we had to guarantee a consistency of weekly poundage that we were sure to provide. In order to achieve this, our first mission was to find a compost producer that would guarantee us a weekly delivery. We did not care if it was Phase I, II or III, just the assurance of weekly supply.

Thankfully, we found a farm that had the ability to supply Phase II compost which would cut down our room occupancy by almost 15-20 days during production, compared to Phase I we were receiving inconsistently up to then.

You would be surprised how many farms worked against us. We were adding Mushrooms onto the market and some companies did not want that at the time. This happens within the industry regularly as later with years I found out. A sad truth in my opinion as our goal as Mushroom farmers is to get as much product to the market, and if it was not selling, then that was a problem that we as farmers needed to address, together. We fail to see the capacity of strength we have with the Power of growing Mushrooms.

Step 2: Legitimate Sales

My father was dealing with a variety of companies, but a few that were worthy of keeping. Each, battling their own problems at the time, some taking advantage more than others. But there was a vast market out there and we needed to look further to find the right partner that would fit in our plans. We needed a company that would purchase 100% of what we produced in order for us to be able to focus on HACCP.

We found a company in Toronto that would purchase 100% of what we produced and we signed a preliminary deal on the basis that we would immediately begin our HACCP program, in addition, if possible, if we could get our product certified Organic. This would have been a bonus, as it would have put us on the list of a few farms at the time that were certified Organic. Another piece of the puzzle that appeared mid-talks that I said yes to without understanding the complexities of. But I knew that for years my father would feed his Mushrooms only water, so I was confident we were partially there already.

Step 3: HACCP & Organic Certifications

The next three months were spent in analyzing, creating, writing, imagining the whole program outlined throughout the farm. Critical Control Points, Standard Operating Protocols, training of staff. I learned it all strong enough to have the capacity to teach others. I spent days in paper and learning online and in the local library finding every possible way of how I can make HACCP our own. I noticed how many programs out there were trying to generalize HACCP to a concept which I could not relate to our farm. Every farm is specific and HACCP needs to be a book that when an outsider read it, would understand our day to day protocols without once seeing the operations. What a beautiful challenge.

Both HACCP and Organics turned out to be a lot of paperwork which thankfully came at ease as I am a fan of protocol. Both programs I came to love which in the end allowed me to help certify our farm for HACCP and Organics for the North American market only months from the start of the process. I trained thirty staff, fixed up every possible aspect that we could afford and not, but in the end we were proudly certified for both.

I was told it could not be done. I was told we needed to spend the money to get the minds in there to get it done for us. But in times of struggle, one must find a way because there is always a way. Our paths may be generated, but with hiccups comes new opportunity that one must sense, find and capitalize on. I am today able to come to your non-certified farm, and guarantee you that within a certain time frame, I will organize your farm to reach its capacity of certification. Deep down, I am in love with HACCP and the Organics certification because it adds a valuable level onto your operation which every operation requires in order to be successful - accountability.

This is just a glimpse of a time period. Many good things happened after because of them. They were the beginning of a domino effect which came later with better results. We finished the third year sales up almost 400% from year prior, certified HACCP and Organics and mid-fiscal-year-three, signed a $2.2 million contract with one of the countries leading Organic producers. All that work, the 30 hours a day that we somehow came up with, was returned. A higher level reached by every individual that took part in its growth and each position took part, as none is minuscule of importance on any farm operation.

Hard work. Determination. Perseverance. They always come with your craved result if your path is honest and willing. Our Team won that battle, united.

My name is Denis Vidmar and I believe your path to success begins with a choice. A choice to want to learn and grow.