Moolamattom: Starting with just a couple of mushroom beds in his bedroom, Sooraj Soman of Poykunnel in Arakkulam has turned a small home experiment into a thriving village enterprise.

The 32-year-old began his tryst with mushroom farming with just two beds of oyster mushrooms set up inside his bedroom. Encouraged by the success of this experiment, he gradually expanded the setup to 100 beds within his house. As demand for his mushrooms grew steadily, Sooraj decided to take the next leap and expanded cultivation to a vacant restaurant building adjacent to his home. Today, his enterprise boasts 1,000 mushroom beds.

On any given day, Sooraj sells 20 to 25 packets of mushrooms, and more often than not, he struggles to meet the overwhelming customer demand. His sales are handled both directly to customers and through shops in Moolamattom and nearby areas.

Sooraj credits the Arakkulam Agriculture Office for its continuous support and guidance in his venture. Over time, he has also begun training others in mushroom farming, helping more people in the region take up this sustainable enterprise.

His success is very much a family affair as Sooraj's wife Radhikamol and father Soman actively support him in daily operations. Inspired by the old belief that mushrooms sprout with the rumble of thunder, Sooraj has named his brand “Thunder Mushrooms.”