About Frontier Mushrooms

Deb and Darin Kelly have been growing food together since 2006.  We built our first farm in the United States, and developed a healthy livelihood, growing primarily lettuces, tomatoes, and basil for sale at farmers markets and area restaurants.   Our focus has always been on chemical-free produce that improves the land where it is grown.  We believe in protecting the soil, amending the soil with organic matter, and making as little negative impact on the environment as possible.  We began learning mushroom cultivation in 2014.  

We sold our first farm in Indiana in 2017, and moved to Ontario to begin a new chapter.  

 In 2018, Kelly's Gourmet Mushrooms was born on Wolfe Island, and quickly grew to supply dozens of markets and restaurants around the Kingston and Ottawa communities.  We took our knowledge to the next level in the spring of that year, by completing an intensive mushroom cultivation course in Olympia, Washington with Paul Stamets, master mycologist.

Due to the growing popularity of mushroom cultivation, and the stresses of the pandemic, Kelly's Gourmet Mushrooms became The Fungi Connection in 2020, supplying mushrooms, grow kits, and growing supplies, as well as education to the community.  

In early 2023, Deb and Darin sold the company to a vertical farming start-up based in Ottawa.  
To be closer to family and to continue their hands-on, low-impact research into mushroom cultivation, Deb and Darin moved to Grey County, Ontario, a rich agricultural region that serves Owen Sound to the north, down to Kitchener/Waterloo and Guelph.  We hope to continue growing food and learning to be always better stewards of the land and our plant partners. 

At Frontier Mushrooms, our mission is to grow healthy, wholesome food using low-impact, regenerative practices. We're committed to sustainable farming practices that protect the land for future generations.  We believe that by supporting small-scale, regenerative agriculture, we can help build stronger and healthier communities.  We re-use and repurpose building materials and equipment as much as possible, and purchase locally-grown inputs to support our community.

Our team at Frontier Mushrooms is made up of family and partners who are passionate about nature and the environment, and about ongoing research into best practices around growing food in the time of climate collapse.  We work hard every day to ensure that our crops are healthy and abundant, not just for the humans who will consume them, but for the environment in which they are grown. We're proud to be a part of the local farming community, and we're always happy to share our knowledge and experience with others.