What happens when a group doesn’t want it to end…?
Day 4 of our & Production Course unfolded the way these days often do: Moving back and forth between understanding and reality.
We spent the morning deepening our view on how substrates evolve over time - from to the first, often subtle, signs of - and how each phase asks for a different kind of attention. Not as isolated steps, but as a continuous, living process where details quietly shape outcomes.
By the afternoon, it was time to step outside.
At Padoo*, we saw those same principles translated into practice. A place where organic side streams are not waste, but the starting point of something new - adding another layer to our conversations.
As much as the processes, it was the people who stayed with us. Marie-Laure and Wim from Padoo welcomed us with a rare openness: honest, warm, and without filters. The kind of exchange that turns a company visit into something meaningful. Thanks Padoo!
We closed the day with certificates, conversations, and that familiar feeling: not quite ready to leave.
It’s been five weeks now. And yet… the momentum hasn’t faded.
If anything, it left us with one clear thought: this wasn’t enough.
So we’re quietly considering a new edition - end of September, still this year.
Let’s see where the energy takes us 🌱
*Our host on this 4th day - worth discovering: https://www.padoo.be/
Mycelia Academy
Delen
We want to prevent you from making expensive mistakes, losing valuable time, having sleepless nights.
That’s why we offer Group Trainings, Consultancy and free Professional Knowledge on fungi, mycelium and substrate production.
4 weeks ago. Halfway through the Substrate & Wood Fungi Production Course.
And suddenly the world feels… very small.
Australia next to Germany.
Kazakhstan talking to Peru.
The US exchanging notes with Mongolia.
Within a few days, borders disappear.
Because in the end, we are all part of the same story - facing many of the same questions and challenges. Different contexts. Different scales. But often, the same questions.
Whether you come from...
- a family business exploring what is realistically possible,
- a food forest experimenting with mushrooms in regenerative systems,
- or an established company refining and optimizing production,
each of you is looking for ways to move forward.
On day 3, we dive into some invisible - yet decisive - aspects of substrate production:
micro-organisms, air quality, cleanroom thinking, laminar flow, pests, gas exchange…
In the afternoon: hands-on work.
Bag sealing. Technical visits. Substrate inoculation in the lab.
Questions. Troubleshooting. Shared experiences. Real learning.
A special thank you to our host company .
Your doors are wide open. And the generosity with which you share decades of expertise is remarkable.
We know this impacts daily operations - production continues, schedules adapt, and your team always finds a way to make it work.
Thank you for your commitment and your hospitality.
What happens when 18 people meet at exactly the right moment in their journey?
Three weeks ago. Day 2 of the Substrate & Wood Fungi Production Course.
And something starts to become very clear: Our participants form a remarkable mix.
Some already have years of experience and use these days to take a deeper look at their production systems - questioning assumptions and refining their processes.
Others are in the middle of scaling up, starting to see the bigger picture and preparing the next steps in their operations.
And then there are the starters: carefully screening ideas, testing plans, and letting their projects slowly take shape.
This diversity is exactly what makes the conversations so rich.
Different perspectives meet. Experiences are shared.
And the questions don’t stop when the sessions end, especially during the coffee breaks.
Two weeks ago. Day 1 of the Substrate & Wood Fungi Production Course. And everything was still ahead.
At , we welcomed participants from across the world - growers and entrepreneurs sharing the same curiosity: how to produce high-quality substrates and wood-loving fungi.
The first hours were about laying the foundation:
ingredients, humidification, sterilisation, incubation…
But it didn’t take long before things went deeper.
Questions emerged. Assumptions were challenged.
“Today was a real deep dive,” one participant said.
And that was only day one.
That evening, we headed to Ghent.
A full week of learning had just begun.
23/03/2026
Shortly after the course, they signed up again. This time for the Mycelium & Spawn Production Course. Four out of 18 participants from our Substrate & Wood Fungi Production Course.
They came from South America, Europe and Australia to our little country, and they will come back. A small signal - but a meaningful one. And honestly, a heartwarming one too.
Because saying goodbye at the end of a course is never nothing. There’s always a connection - and it’s something we feel too. So seeing people return, suitcase in hand, ready to dive into another topic… that’s something special.
From that same momentum - following the Substrate Course just two weeks ago - several other people, from Belgium to Asia, also wanted to join the June course, but were simply too late. We’re sorry - and at the same time, grateful for the interest - but the Mycelium & Spawn Production Course in June is now fully booked.
That's why 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟕. Because normally, this course only returns in summer next year - but waiting 15 months would be quite too long, no?
At the same time, interest in the Substrate & Wood Fungi Production Course exceeded the number of available places. So we are 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐚 𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐦𝐧. Because clearly, there are still quite a few people we could make happy.
Meanwhile, we continue refining our Mycomaterials Production Course, building on positive and reflective feedback from recent participants. And in May, we’ll host a Pasteurisation Production Masterclass, where we go deep - technically and biologically. The biological dimension is often underestimated, yet essential. This is what makes this a true masterclass for deep-divers.
You may have noticed: many of our course titles and hashtags revolve around 𝐮𝐨ıʇɔ𝐧𝐩𝐨ɹ𝐝. Not the most “sexy” word, perhaps - but one that is very close to what we stand for.
Because this is where it all comes together: how to fine-tune production, scale it, evaluate it, and adjust it when needed. That’s the work. And that’s where one of our strengths lies.
If you would like to be informed
– if places become available for the June course on Mycelium Production
– or if an additional substrate course is organized later this year
📩 feel free to send us a "𝘞𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘓𝘪𝘴𝘵"-𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦 at [email protected]
📬 or simply join our newsletter: https://mycelia-academy.org/newsletter/
www.mycelia-academy.org
Designing efficient production for Mushrooms.
From substrate preparation to reliable yields.
👉 https://mycelia-academy.org/on-site-courses/substrate-wood-fungi-production-course/
06/02/2026
What do a bath, a toilet and rolling stones have to do with mushroom and substrate production? Ask our favorite illustrator Maarten Vanhoucke Illustrator - he has a talent for capturing things we all recognise.
For this blog on time for on-site production courses, he gave shape to something deeply familiar: knowing deeper learning would help, but today, you simply can’t leave the site.
Maarten is now creating more and more illustrations for , including the visual design of our upcoming online course.
You know deep learning about fungi production would help…
just not this week. 📚 Read the blog here:
06/02/2026
More dots keep appearing on the map 🌍
Participants continue to join us from far and wide - and the international mix keeps growing.
Different routes, different distances,
but the same drive: curiosity and a hunger to learn 🍄
Last spots available for the & Production Course 👉https://mycelia-academy.org/on-site-courses/substrate-wood-fungi-production-course/
30/01/2026
You know learning would help, but this week you can’t leave the site.
Next month might work. Next year definitely.
That choice often comes with a weight: staying responsible on site, while knowing you’re postponing something that could make your work easier.
This article helps put words to that hesitation, and why time is where it most often gets stuck.
In this article, we reflect on why saying yes to learning in mushroom production is harder than it should be.
This piece opens a short series on hesitation and real-life production decisions.
👉 ± 5-minute read
Mushroom Production Course: Why Making Time Is So Hard Learning matters. Yet making time for a mushroom production course often feels impossible. A reflection on time, pressure and responsibility - When stepping away has consequences
30/12/2025
Between protocols and intuition,
between clean rooms and muddy boots,
between spreadsheets and living systems,
another year has taken shape.
To everyone working with
substrate, spawn, mycelium and mycomaterials -
from CEOs and investors
to producers, managers and team leaders
from lab assistants and researchers
to designers, builders and hands on the floor
Thank you for staying curious.
For continuing the search for better processes.
For asking the questions that matter.
For respecting complexity.
For knowing that progress rarely grows in straight lines -
and for trusting what is still in the making.
May 2026 bring
care in every process,
careful decisions over quick fixes,
clear thinking before easy answers,
and knowledge that travels -
from lab to production floor,
from idea to material,
from people to people.
✨ Happy holidays
✨ … and an enlightening 2026
𝘞𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦.
Klik hier om uitgelicht te worden.
Plaats
Contact de scholen
Website
Adres
Veldeken 27
Deinze
9850