Jim and Jamie Moreau moved from Maui, Hawaii, to Humphreys County in 2018 with big dreams of providing fresh produce to Tennesseans.
Four years later, the Moreaus’ Twin Bridge Farm produces 100 pounds of mushrooms per week and sells directly to Nashville-area restaurants and farmers markets.
“It was very expensive to live in Maui, and we knew we wanted to farm somewhere else,” says Jim. “We eventually decided to move to Tennessee and fell in love with this property. After living here for a while, we decided to open the farm as an Airbnb.”
Nestled along Spring Creek, Airbnb visitors must drive across two bridges to gain access to the farm – hence the name Twin Bridge Farm.
Jim and Jamie, with their entrepreneurial spirit, operated a wine bar and restaurant in Maui and had dreams of owning a farm on the mainland. Jamie had an interest in growing produce, and the couple landed on mushrooms after extensive research. Growing mushrooms doesn’t require acreage and was doable with the couple’s current set up.
“I’ve always enjoyed science and experimenting,” says Jamie as she looks over her mushroom facility. “We learned by watching YouTube videos and started our operation in a tiny tent in our back yard.”
Over time, Jim and Jamie updated their mushroom growing process to include a temperature-regulated facility that contains a misting system and provides enough natural light for the mushrooms to grow successfully. They grow 14 different varieties of mushrooms with King Oysters, Shiitake, Reishi, Lion’s Mane, Maitake, and Cinnamon Caps being some of the most popular. Most of the mushrooms are grown for food, but several are medicinal. Depending on the variety, some mushrooms take 30 days to grow, while others take up to three months.
“When people think about growing mushrooms, they picture them being grown in dark, dirty places,” says Jamie. “That couldn’t be further from the truth – they love light.”
Jamie says that growing mushrooms is an extremely hands-on process. Growing bags are filled with mushroom substrate, made from soy hulls, hardwood sawdust pellets, and water, and inoculated with spawn so that they can grow a larger mushroom harvest. Jim and Jamie purchase the hardwood pellets used in the growing process from United Farm & Home Cooperative’s Waverly location. Once the substrate has been fully colonized by the mycelium, it can produce mushrooms.
The bags sit for roughly a month before the mushrooms are ready to grow. The bags will then be moved to a fruiting room with a light source, high humidity, and fresh air exchange. All that’s needed is to cut some slits into the bag and to mist the openings daily. Jim and Jamie’s fruiting room is located behind their home in a custom building designed for the growing process.
“We have to strip and cut the mushrooms throughout the process,” says Jamie. “We monitor our mushrooms multiple times a day because once they hit a certain stage, they grow pretty fast.”
Randy Hite, United Farm & Home Cooperative chief procurement officer, orders specific supplies for the Moreaus’ operation.
“We don’t have any mushroom growers in our area,” says Hite, who was previously the store manager for Humphreys Farmers Co-op before the United Farm & Home Co-op merger.
“I have learned a lot from Jim and Jamie and am proud to help support our area farmers.”
Randy encourages customers to interact with store employees if they are looking for something in particular at Co-op. Local
Co-ops can order specific products, such as the soy hulls and hardwood sawdust pellets for the Moreaus, even if they are not stocked on store shelves.
“Randy is very responsive to our operation,” says Jim. “We had a hard time getting supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic, but Randy and the folks at Co-op managed to get us what we needed.”
Jim and Jamie recently planted a vineyard with Cabernet, Merlot, and Cab Franc grapes and hope to sell wine and have tastings on the farm in the future.
“Agriculture is a very rewarding industry,” says Jamie. “We are looking forward to expanding our operation and inviting guests to the farm to experience the wine made with our grapes.”
Twin Bridge Farm has an Airbnb private cottage allowing guests to get away and enjoy the peace that the farm offers. Jamie says that she puts farm-fresh eggs in the refrigerator for her guests to enjoy a small piece of the farm during their stay. Guests can also purchase gourmet mushrooms, spices, and dry mushrooms as price sheets are placed in each cottage. Along with the gourmet mushrooms and vineyard, Jim and Jamie also have rescue mules and Kunekune pigs. Excellent grazers, the Kunekune pigs will help manage the pasture around the orchard.
Jim and Jamie will be at the Waverly location of United Farm & Home Co-op on August 15 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. with samples of fresh mushrooms and jerky. They will also provide a pre-cooked sample of mushrooms for guests to taste.
For more information about Twin Bridge Farm, or to purchase gourmet mushrooms, tinctures, mocha, or seasoning salts, visit https://twinbridgefarm.com or stop by the farm’s booth at the Bellevue, Dickson, or Clarksville Farmers Markets.