Gowin Valley Farms Mushrooms: an Introduction

Welcome to Gowin Valley Farms - Where Research and Mushroom Cultivation Collide

At Gowin Valley Farms, we're more than just a family farm—we’re a family of passionate growers and researchers dedicated to bringing you the best quality, Certified Naturally Grown mushrooms. We practice sustainable farming that honors the land. Nestled in the heart of North Georgia (Rocky Face to be exact) our farm is where nature and innovation work hand-in-hand to create delicious, nutritious, eco-friendly fungi.

We partner with institutions to grow our mushrooms for a greater purpose — research. From UTK to KSU and Cornell University to local universities like UTC and Dalton State, we collaborate to provide meaningful data and research to higher academia. We have set up local master ’s-level and undergraduate-level research internships where college and master’s students aid in our research partnerships and create their own research projects.

Our Commitment to Certified Naturally Grown Mushrooms

We pride ourselves on being a Certified Naturally Grown (CNG) farm. What does Certified Naturally Grown mean? We adhere to rigorous standards focusing on sustainable and responsible farming practices. Unlike conventional farming methods, CNG certification ensures we grow our mushrooms without synthetic chemicals or pesticides and avoid genetically modified organisms (GMOs). It’s our way of ensuring every mushroom we cultivate is safe and healthy for you and for our environment.

Whether you're a home cook or a culinary chef, you can trust when you buy our mushrooms, you’re supporting a farming system that values the health of the land as much as the health of the people who eat the food we produce.

Our Farming Practices: Sustainability at Our Core

At Gowin Valley Farms, sustainability is not just a buzzword—it’s a core principle guiding us in everything we do. Our mushrooms are grown in a semi-automated climate-controlled environment designed to optimize efficiency and minimize energy usage. We are a part of a USDA Specialty Crops Block Grant with Kennesaw State University and Cornell University where KSU Researcher, Kyle Gabriel, created this module and the technology that drives its performance.

We utilize organic and all-natural materials to cultivate our mushroom spawn, ensuring the farm only positively contributes to our local environment. Every step of the process—from inoculating spores to harvesting— is done with love and all in-house. We do not outsource any aspect of the growth process. We have upcycled Emma’s grandfather’s Tennessee Walking Horse Show Stables into our laboratories, incubation spaces, pasteurization and sterilization spaces and use Mycologic from our KSU partners to grow our mushrooms.

By growing mushrooms in a way that mimics their natural habitat, we reduce the need for artificial inputs and create a resilient ecosystem that thrives year after year. This not only results in the best quality, flavorful mushrooms and ensures our farm can continue to support our community and family for generations.

The Diversity of Mushrooms We Grow

 Gowin Valley Farms offers a variety of gourmet mushrooms, each with its own unique flavor profile and culinary potential. From rich and earthy Blue Oysters (Pleurotus ostreatus) to the unique textured, diverse flavor of Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus) mushrooms, we have something to suit every palate. As the demand for mushrooms grows, so does our commitment to growing a wide selection, experimenting with new varieties and improving our techniques to ensure we’re always providing the highest quality mushrooms. Currently, we grow at least 4 unique varieties of oysters each week, plus 5-6 other unique species to offer our community and to our local chef and restaurant partners.

Join Us on Our Journey

As we continue to grow and expand, we want you to be part of our story and farm family. Our blog will be a place where we share farm and research updates, seasonal recipes, tips on cooking with mushrooms and more. Join our community by following along, subscribing to our newsletter & of course, enjoying the fruits of our labor. Or one of our lovely by-products we make. Check out our Mushroom Products page for a full download of what we offer besides Fresh Mushrooms.

Thank you for visiting Gowin Valley Farms, where naturally grown mushrooms meet a commitment to quality, sustainability, and research for better future farming practices. We’re so glad you’re here—and we can’t wait to share our harvest with you!

A beautiful variety box from Gowin Valley Farms