Meet The Growers: How Mercer Mushrooms Brings Fresh Flavour To Your Hellofresh Box

Freshness, Every Day

Unlike many crops that are harvested seasonally, mushrooms are grown year-round in carefully controlled indoor conditions. At Mercer, that means 24/7 monitoring of temperature, humidity, and airflow. Every day, mushrooms are harvested by hand to ensure they’re at their very best.

That attention to detail makes a real difference to the HelloFresh experience. The mushrooms that arrive in a customer’s box are typically only a couple of days out of the growing room. “We know that freshness is what people notice most,” says Dave. “It’s what makes a mushroom really shine in a stir-fry or a risotto. That texture and flavour that comes from being freshly picked.”

A Sustainable Approach

HelloFresh has made sustainability a core part of its mission, and it’s something Mercer Mushrooms strongly identifies with. The farm runs a wide range of initiatives designed to reduce environmental impact and use resources more efficiently.

Energy use is one of the biggest challenges in mushroom farming, given the need for year-round climate control in growing rooms. To address this, Mercer Mushrooms has invested heavily in renewable energy, including the installation of over 2,000 solar panels that generate nearly 960 megawatts of energy to help power the facility. This shift is reducing reliance on the grid and lowering the farm’s overall carbon footprint.

Water use is another big focus. Mushroom farming requires huge amounts of water, from preparing compost through to the growing process itself. To manage this responsibly, Mercer has developed systems to capture, recycle, and reuse water wherever possible. These efforts mean the farm has dramatically reduced waste and ensures precious resources are used efficiently, which is particularly important during New Zealand’s increasingly dry summers.

On top of that, spent compost from mushroom beds is recycled back into agriculture, supporting a circular growing model. Much of it is sold through local garden centres and used by farmers in the region, giving the compost a valuable second life beyond mushroom production. This not only reduces waste but also supports the wider community with a rich, organic growing medium. At the same time, the business is exploring new approaches to packaging to minimise plastics and waste.

“It’s about making sure we’re growing food in a way that looks after the environment as much as it looks after people,” explains Dave. “The solar panels, the water recycling, the compost - it all adds up. Having a partner like HelloFresh, who shares those values, means we can keep pushing forward together.”

Growing Together

Behind every punnet of mushrooms is a team of around 150 people who call Mercer Mushrooms their workplace. For Dave, that’s one of the most satisfying parts of working with HelloFresh – the way their success feeds directly back into local jobs and opportunities.

“When HelloFresh grows, we grow,” he says. “That creates stability for our team and allows us to invest back into the business and the people who make it run.”

Looking ahead, Mercer Mushrooms has plans to expand its production capacity and continue innovating in sustainable growing practices. A key part of that future is continuing to strengthen its relationship with HelloFresh.

And what makes the partnership even more unique is that Mercer Mushrooms chooses to work exclusively with HelloFresh in the meal kit space. For Dave and his team, it’s about going deeper rather than wider: “By focusing on HelloFresh, we can put our energy into growing exactly what their chefs and customers want, and doing it to the highest possible standard. It’s not just about supply. It’s about tailoring our approach so every punnet is grown with HelloFresh in mind.”

So next time you’re dicing mushrooms for a HelloFresh recipe, take a moment to imagine the care, craft, and community that brought them to your kitchen. From the growing rooms of Mercer to your dinner plate, it’s a story of partnership, freshness, and pride in New Zealand food.