An urban mushroom farm in Geneva: the Mycotopia project

For twenty years, I worked in IT. A fascinating field, but something essential was missing: meaning. I wanted to create something concrete and useful, something that truly feeds people.

It was while growing my first mushrooms that everything became clear. From by-products nobody wanted, leftover grain, bran, wood chips, I saw life appear. Food. Something beautiful, sustainable and honest. That day, I knew I had found my project.

Why "Mycotopia"

The word is dear to the American mycologist Paul Stamets: it describes a place where people live in harmony with fungi. That is exactly what we want to build in Geneva. A farm where mushrooms turn the region's by-products into fresh food, and where nothing goes to waste.

What the farm will do

• Fresh specialty mushrooms: grey, golden and pink oyster mushrooms, shiitake, king oyster, pioppino, chestnut mushroom, lion's mane. Harvested to order, delivered locally.
• For restaurants first, with orders from 1 kg and a page for professionals, but also for home cooks.
• Kits to grow at home, training courses and strains for growers.

A circular economy, at Geneva scale

The substrate our mushrooms will grow on will come from local partners: a Geneva flour mill and a regional wood recovery company. We tell the story of this supply chain in detail in an upcoming article. The idea is simple: what is a by-product for one becomes a resource for another.

Where will the farm be?

In the canton of Geneva, ideally in the city. The search for the right place is under way, and the opening is planned for autumn 2027. We explain why in this article.

Nathaniel Duchamp, founder of Mycotopia

To follow the farm as it takes shape and hear when we open, join the waiting list at the bottom of the page. Are you a chef or restaurant owner? Visit our page for professionals. In the meantime, our mushroom recipes give you a foretaste.