Our Story

My family has been in the mushroom business for over four decades, so I grew up around mushrooms. Naturally, my first job in high school was at a mushroom farm. I was 16, and working there gave me a new appreciation for something that had always been part of my life. I became fascinated by how mushrooms grow, and that curiosity stayed with me long after high school.

Later, while studying business as an undergraduate, I had an idea for a business project: help people discover mushrooms beyond the familiar button mushroom. In 2017, I introduced our signature Pink Oyster mushroom grow kit. The response in those first two months encouraged me to keep going, and a school project became a small business.

Today, Forest Origins is still a small business, and I still love what I do. Over the years, we've helped thousands of people grow mushrooms at home. What I enjoy most is sharing the experience that first drew me in: watching mushrooms grow, cooking them, and enjoying them with family and friends.

Alan MartinezFounder, Forest Origins