Our Story

We are an urban mushroom farm based in the heart of beautiful Queenstown, in the Wakatipu Basin.

Remarkable Fungi was established in 2021 by local chef Darren Lynch. While working in the kitchen, Darren noticed that the mushrooms he was ordering were being shipped from other regions of New Zealand. After some research, he realised there was no local mushroom grower in the Wakatipu Basin. With a green thumb and a passion for horticulture, he decided to give it a go - clearing out his spare bedroom, setting up a small grow tent, and bringing Remarkable Fungi to life.

What began as a small home setup quickly grew into something much bigger. Over the following years, the business expanded into a dedicated warehouse, now producing over 100kg of mushrooms each week.

Along the way, Darren was joined by Ethan, whose passion and enthusiasm for mushroom growing quickly became a huge part of the business. Ethan has been instrumental in the day-to-day growing and continues to bring energy, knowledge, and care to everything we do - we’re lucky to have him as part of the team.

In February 2026, Remarkable Fungi began an exciting new chapter under the ownership of Tim and Fran. Kiwi winemakers from the North Island, they fell in love with Queenstown and the Wakatipu Basin over several years of working in the region. Now, alongside Ethan, they are bringing their knowledge of wine science, fermentation, and viticulture into mushroom growing - continuing Darren’s vision of locally grown gourmet mushrooms while building on the strong community connections already in place.

Today, Remarkable Fungi produces an array of fresh gourmet mushrooms, dried products, grow kits, and powders.

We wouldn’t be where we are today without the incredible support of our local community, businesses, and customers - thank you for being part of our journey.

Follow along on Instagram to see what we’re growing, cooking, and creating
@remarkablefungi