🍄 Tarivoxa
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Our Story

A Family Farm with
Deep Roots

Tarivoxa grew from a fascination with fungi into one of Ireland's most respected specialty mushroom producers. Our story is one of curiosity, persistence, and a deep connection to the land of County Monaghan.

How It Began

From Curiosity to 🌱 Cultivation

In the spring of 2012, Cian Fitzpatrick stumbled upon a cluster of wild oyster mushrooms growing on a fallen beech tree near his family's farmstead outside Clones. That encounter sparked something. He spent the next two years reading everything he could find about mycology, attending workshops in the Netherlands and Hungary, and converting an old stone outbuilding into a makeshift growing room.

His wife Orla, a food scientist by training, saw the potential immediately. She brought rigour to what had been a passionate hobby, developing substrate formulations and sterile laboratory protocols that dramatically improved yields. By late 2014, Tarivoxa had its first commercial harvest: forty kilograms of grey oyster mushrooms sold to three restaurants in Monaghan town.

The name "Tarivoxa" itself comes from an old Irish dialect word loosely meaning "earth gift," which Cian found in the notebooks of his grandfather, a schoolteacher who collected local expressions. It felt right for a business built on drawing something beautiful from the soil.

Cian and Orla Fitzpatrick standing in their mushroom growing room holding trays of fresh oyster mushrooms
Our Journey

Twelve Years of 📅 Steady Growth

From a single growing room to a multi-structure operation supplying restaurants and retailers across Ireland, each year has brought new challenges and achievements. Here are some of the milestones that shaped Tarivoxa.

14

2014

First Commercial Harvest

Our inaugural batch of grey oyster mushrooms went to three restaurants in Monaghan. Forty kilograms harvested from a converted stone outbuilding.

16

New Growing Facility

Secured a Rural Enterprise grant through Monaghan County Council and built two purpose-designed growing rooms with climate control. Introduced shiitake and lion's mane to the range. Weekly output climbed to 200 kilograms.

18

2018

Bord Bia Quality Mark

Achieved Bord Bia Origin Green certification, confirming our sustainability credentials.

20

Direct-to-Consumer Launch

When restaurant demand dipped during global disruptions, we pivoted to home delivery across Ireland. The response was overwhelming, and direct sales have remained a core channel ever since. We also launched our on-farm shop.

23

2023

Laboratory Expansion

Invested in a dedicated sterile laboratory for spawn production and culture maintenance.

26

Where We Are Today

Tarivoxa now produces over 600 kilograms of fresh mushrooms per week across six varieties. Our team has grown to twelve people. We supply more than forty restaurants, ten farm shops, and hundreds of homes through our delivery service. And we are still just getting started.

Our People

The Faces Behind 👨‍🌾 the Farm

Tarivoxa is more than two people. Our growing team brings together diverse skills and a shared commitment to producing the finest mushrooms in Ireland. Every person on this farm plays a part in what arrives on your plate.

portrait of Cian Fitzpatrick mushroom farmer standing in growing room wearing work apron

Cian Fitzpatrick

Co-Founder & Head Grower

Cian oversees all cultivation and growing operations. His hands-on approach means you will often find him in the growing rooms at dawn, checking fruiting conditions and planning harvest schedules. He holds a certificate in Applied Mycology from Wageningen University.

portrait of Orla Fitzpatrick food scientist in sterile laboratory preparing mushroom spawn cultures

Orla Fitzpatrick

Co-Founder & Lab Director

Orla manages the laboratory, quality control, and product development. With a BSc in Food Science from University College Dublin, she brings scientific precision to everything from substrate formulation to packaging design. She also leads our recipe development work.

portrait of Declan Murphy farm operations manager loading delivery van with fresh mushroom boxes

Declan Murphy

Operations Manager

Declan joined in 2018 and quickly became indispensable. He coordinates the daily logistics of harvesting, packing, and dispatching orders. He manages relationships with our wholesale accounts and ensures every delivery meets our freshness standards without fail.

portrait of Sinead Brennan customer relations manager in farm shop surrounded by fresh produce displays

Sinead Brennan

Customer Relations & Farm Shop

Sinead runs our on-farm shop and manages direct customer relationships. She handles online orders, answers enquiries, and organises our Saturday farm tours. Her warmth and knowledge of mushroom cookery make every visitor feel welcome.

Plus eight additional team members in growing, packing, and delivery.

What We Believe

Our Values Guide Every 🧭 Decision

Running a mushroom farm is an exercise in patience and attention. Fungi do not respond well to shortcuts. They demand the right conditions, the right timing, and genuine care. That philosophy extends to how we treat our land, our customers, and our community.

Sustainability First

Every input we use has been chosen with environmental impact in mind. Our straw comes from farms within thirty kilometres. Our sawdust is a by-product of sustainable Irish forestry. Spent substrate goes back to local gardens as nutrient-rich compost. We use heat pumps powered by renewable energy to regulate our growing rooms, and our packaging is fully compostable. In 2024, we achieved carbon-neutral status through a combination of on-site solar panels and verified offsets with Coillte's native woodland programme.

Community Roots

We are part of the fabric of north Monaghan. All twelve of our employees live within a twenty-minute drive of the farm. We buy locally wherever we can, from the straw we use as substrate to the compostable trays we pack into. We host school visits throughout the year, teaching children about the science of fungi. And every December, we donate fresh mushroom boxes to food banks in Monaghan, Cavan, and Enniskillen.

Continuous Learning

Mycology is a field where new discoveries happen constantly. We invest in ongoing education, attending European mycology conferences, trialling new species, and refining our techniques each season. Orla collaborates with researchers at Teagasc on substrate optimisation studies, and Cian regularly visits specialty farms in Belgium and Italy to exchange knowledge and cultures. This commitment to learning keeps us at the forefront of specialty mushroom production in Ireland.

aerial view of Tarivoxa mushroom farm buildings surrounded by green Monaghan countryside fields and hedgerows
close up of hands carefully harvesting fresh oyster mushroom clusters from growing bags sterile laboratory workstation with petri dishes mushroom cultures and laminar flow hood

600+

kg/week

40+

Restaurant Partners

6

Varieties

Our Environment

The Land That 🌾 Feeds Our Fungi

County Monaghan's drumlin landscape, mild climate, and clean air provide an ideal setting for mushroom cultivation. The rolling hills, abundant rainfall, and spring-fed water supply all contribute to the quality of what we grow.

Spring Water Supply

Our growing rooms are misted using water drawn from a natural limestone spring on the eastern edge of the property. This water is exceptionally pure, with low mineral content that prevents unwanted deposits on mushroom surfaces. We test it quarterly through an independent laboratory in Dundalk to verify its quality, and it consistently exceeds EU drinking water standards.

Monaghan Microclimate

The county's drumlin geography creates a naturally sheltered microclimate. Winters are mild enough that our heat pump systems can maintain growing room temperatures with minimal energy input. Summer humidity levels rarely drop below 60%, reducing the work our misting systems need to do. The moderate Irish climate means we can grow year-round without the extreme heating or cooling costs that farms in continental Europe face.

Renewable Energy

In 2022, we installed a 25kW solar panel array on the south-facing roof of our packing facility. This system generates enough electricity to power our cold storage units, laboratory equipment, and lighting throughout the summer months. During winter, we draw from the grid but source 100% renewable electricity through our supplier. Our air-source heat pumps provide efficient climate control across all growing rooms.

Tarivoxa farm shop interior with wooden shelves displaying fresh mushroom trays dried mushroom packets and recipe books
Trust & Standards

Certified Quality, 🏅 Verified Standards

We believe transparency builds trust. Our farm is independently audited and certified, and we are proud to work alongside some of Ireland's most respected food organisations.

Bord Bia Origin Green

Full member of Ireland's national food sustainability programme since 2018. Independently audited annually for environmental practices, food safety, and supply chain traceability.

Food Safety Authority of Ireland

Registered and compliant with all FSAI regulations for primary food production. Our HACCP plan covers every step from substrate preparation through to final dispatch.

Good Food Ireland

Recognised member of the Good Food Ireland network, connecting us with like-minded producers, chefs, and food lovers who champion quality Irish ingredients.

Teagasc Research Partner

Active research collaboration with Teagasc on substrate optimisation and waste reduction in specialty mushroom production. Contributing to scientific knowledge while improving our own methods.

visitors on a guided tour walking through mushroom growing room with guide explaining fruiting process
Visit Us

See Where the Magic Happens

We open our doors every Saturday morning for guided farm tours. Walk through our growing rooms, visit the laboratory, taste freshly harvested mushrooms, and pick up supplies from our farm shop. Tours run at 10:00 and 11:30 and last approximately one hour. Booking is recommended.

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