In the heart of Paso Robles, nestled between world-class vineyards and olive groves, something unexpected is quietly taking root: mushrooms. Not your average white buttons or canned varieties, but exotic gourmet mushrooms—lion’s mane, blue oysters, pinks, shiitake, and even medicinal Reishi—cultivated with precision, passion, and purpose. At the helm of this operation is Chris Battle, the founder and force behind Mighty Cap Mushrooms, one of San Luis Obispo County’s fastest-growing boutique agricultural businesses.

From Forest Forager to Fungi Farmer

Chris Battle’s journey into mushroom cultivation wasn’t born in a lab—it started in the oak-studded hills of the Central Coast. “I’ve been an avid forager in the area since about 2008,” he says. “People don’t realize how many wild mushrooms grow around here. It’s an art to find them—you have to know where and when to go.”

Inspired by this deep connection to nature and a longtime background in the culinary world, Chris and his wife began experimenting with home-growing gourmet mushrooms in 2018. “We bought one of those grow kits online, set it up in the house, and within two weeks we had fresh mushrooms on the kitchen counter,” he recalls. “It was like, what is this magic?”

That curiosity snowballed into a home-based operation producing 50 pounds a week—grown in their garage, dining room, and eventually a custom-built cargo container-turned-grow room. Leveraging years of experience in the restaurant and seafood industries, Chris began showing samples to chef friends. “They were like, ‘Put me down for 10 pounds a week.’ And I was like, ‘Whoa, I’m not growing that much—yet.’”

A Business Born in a Pandemic

While many small businesses struggled during COVID-19, Mighty Cap Mushrooms found its footing. With traditional supply chains disrupted, Battle saw an opening. “I left my job at a winery, gave up the security, and dove in,” he says. In March 2020, the company was officially born—named around the family dinner table. “Mighty Cap just stuck,” Chris says. “Mushrooms are powerful, healthy, and misunderstood. That name felt right.”

Chris secured a 1,300-square-foot warehouse and scaled production to 350 pounds per week, all distributed locally. He personally handled everything—cultivation, lab work, harvesting, packaging, invoicing, and delivery—until the workload became unsustainable. “I was working 18-hour days. Eventually, I brought on help. Every team member who joined back then is still with us.”

Scaling Up: The Tin City Expansion

Today, Mighty Cap Mushrooms operates out of a state-of-the-art facility in Tin City, Paso Robles‘ creative industrial enclave. The new space allows them to produce 700–800 pounds of mushrooms weekly, to distribute to over 140 restaurants, and to offer public tours and a mushroom-focused retail shop—complete with fresh mushrooms, home grow kits, and fungi-themed gifts.

What sets Mighty Cap apart isn’t just quality, but education. “A huge part of our mission is demystifying mushrooms,” says Chris. “Just like seafood, people avoid mushrooms because they don’t know how to cook them. Once they try them fresh and learn a bit, they’re hooked.”

The Mushroom Lineup

Mighty Cap’s rotating grow list includes:

• Lion’s Mane – prized for its crab-like texture and brain-boosting properties
  
• Blue and Pink Oyster – colorful, fast-growing, and deeply flavorful
  
• Chestnuts – nutty and crisp with a unique umami kick
  
• Shiitake and Black Pearl – meaty, rich, and versatile for all cuisines
  
• Reishi (Lingzhi) – a medicinal powerhouse used in tinctures and teas
  

Their mushrooms are grown on a sterile, organic soy hull and oak wood substrate, steam-sterilized onsite and inoculated in a positive-pressure, HEPA-filtered lab. The entire grow cycle takes around 30 days, and the process repeats seven days a week, 365 days a year. “We’ve never missed a day of farming since we started,” Chris says proudly.

Distribution: Farm-to-Plate, Direct to Chefs

Mighty Cap’s mushrooms aren’t found in grocery chains. They go straight to chefs, who often build dishes around them. “We’re on over 70 menus in San Luis Obispo County alone,” says Chris. Local favorites like BarrelHouse Brewing, Bar Le Côte, and Michelin-starred Bell’s in Los Alamos feature Mighty Cap Mushrooms as staples.

The company hosts chef tours—on-site walkthroughs of the grow rooms and labs—have played a pivotal role in building relationships. “By the end of a tour, nine times out of ten, a chef says, ‘Put me down for 20 pounds a week.’”

Closing the Loop: Sustainability and Community

Mighty Cap’s operation is designed with sustainability in mind. Their spent substrate—2,000 to 3,000 pounds per week—is composted by Mt. Olive Organic Farms in nearby Paso Robles and used in vermicompost and compost teas. “It’s all circular,” says Chris. “The mushrooms feed people, the waste feeds the soil, and the cycle continues.”

They’re also part of a supportive local ag ecosystem. “Lynnette Sonne from FarmsteadED talks a lot about cross-pollination between farms here, and it’s real. We all help each other out.”

Looking Ahead

Mighty Cap Mushrooms is still expanding—carefully, deliberately, and always with a deep respect for their craft. “We’re not trying to take over the world,” says Chris. “We’re just trying to grow the best mushrooms possible, educate people, and be a solid part of this community.”

With a blend of old-school hustle, chef-driven insight, and cutting-edge ag-tech, Chris Battle has created something rare: a mushroom farm that’s not just productive, but deeply personal, local, and inspiring.

Plan your visit to Mighty Cap Mushrooms>>

And while you’re in Tin City, be sure to make time for some wine tasting!

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This article was written by Alison Needham, @agirl_defloured, photos by Alison Needham for California Grown.