Magical Mushroom

The Magical Mushroom Company (MMC) is a UK-based sustainable packing material producer with a license to produce “Mushroom Packaging” in the EU, UK, and Ireland. The material is created using mycelium composite technology, a process patented by Ecovative Design, to combine agricultural waste products such as hemp, hops, corn, and timber and with mycelium (root system of the mushroom) and is then grown into shape using 3D molds.

 MMC claims that the packaging solution matches conventional polystyrene packaging on performance and cost and is already being used to package goods, including cookers, cosmetics, and other everyday consumer products. Its primary production facility in Surrey commenced operations in August 2020 with an annual production capacity of over one million packaging units. 

 As of June 2024, the company operates four facilities in Europe. This includes a 7,000 sq.ft. facility in Esher, UK; a 7,500 sq.ft facility in Attenborough, UK with an annual capacity of 1.5 million packaging units; a 15,000 sq.ft. facility in Beeston UK, with an annual capacity of 4 million units; a 12,500 sq.ft. facility in Sofia, Bulgaria with a capacity of 3.5 million units. The company also reports that it plans to expand to additional European locations including Germany and France.

Key customers and partnerships

As of March 2021, the company claims to have collaborated with brands including Lush Cosmetics, Raine Marine, Bodyshop, Seedlip (from the Diageo group), and luxury designer Tom Dixon. 

Funding and financials

In June 2022, the company raised GBP 3 million (~USD 3.8 million) via a Seed funding round led by Ecovative Design to und the opening of its first raw material production plant in Beeston, UK.