For almost 20 years AMYCEL has been recognized as an
industry leader in the production of mushroom spawn. Thus, AMYCEL was coined to
denote
"American" mycelium or mushroom spawn. Mycel is also an abbreviated term for
fungal mycelium.The first AMYCEL plant was opened in 1979 and is located on a 38 acre site approximately one mile from the historic town of San Juan Bautista, California. The plant layout and all processing equipment were designed specifically for the production of mushroom spawn which set a new standard for the industry.
Sales of Amycel spawn continued to grow throughout the 1980's with the formation of a sales & distribution operation in Avondale, Pennsylvania, the heart of the US mushroom industry and a sales distributorship in British Columbia, Canada. Amycel spawn increased in popularity throughout North America due to its high quality and reliability. The plant in San Juan Bautista has been expanded three times to meet market demand.
Amycel operations were expanded to Madisonville, Texas, in 1987 through the acquisition of a spawn plant built by Ralston Purina. The facility was completely renovated by Amycel following the acquisition.
In 1988, Amycel became a fully owned subsidiary of Monterey Mushrooms, Inc.
This gave Amycel a long-term commitment and involvement in the mushroom industry.
In 1991, Amycel expanded into European markets.Amycel quickly expanded the San Juan Bautista plant with a completely new strain maintenance and inoculum production facility. The San Juan Bautista plant now provides all three spawn plants with their inoculum requirements. Additionally, the Intermediate Test Facility (ITF), where the inoculum is certified, was expanded by over 250% and completely renovated.
Shortly after its entry into the European market, Amycel acquired its third spawn plant from Claron of France. The former Claron plant was subjected to an extensive physical renovation as well as the introduction of a radically new production process.
This plant opened on September 26, 1994, as Amycel S.A.R.L. and is located in Vendôme, France, which sits in the heart of the Loire Valley. The plant also produces the same high quality spawn and Amycel strains for European customers.
The continued growth and preeminence of Amycel within the spawn industry is due in part to the excellence of plant and equipment design. Most of all, however, it is a tribute to the consistent performance and professionalism of the Amycel work
force.