Candice and Dan Heydon aren't just purveyors of mushrooms, they're passionate about them. Even after some 13 years in the mushroom business, Candice says plainly: "We're not tired of eating, growing or talking about mushrooms." And not surprisingly, a visit to Oyster Creek Farm & Mushroom Co. is an education - even for those who can easily tell the difference between a shiitake and a crimini.

The Heydons not only grow and sell fresh exotic mushrooms, they also dry some varieties, package them for sale, test new recipes, create mushroom oils and powders, develop marketing ideas, manage a mail-order business and, basically, run a year-round operation.

For Candice, even before there were thousands of mushrooms growing on logs in sheds and lean-tos here and there on their 12 acres of property, there was an entrepreneurial spirit deep inside. For years, she worked in the restaurant business as a cook and a waitress, but operated a seasonal wreath-making business on the side, selling to her customers. It was participating in a chance workshop on how to grow mushrooms that sparked a new interest that eventually turned into a full-time business.

Beginning cautiously, the Heydons connected with a California-based mushroom company that provided them with about 20 varieties of fresh mushrooms that they could then sell in Maine to test the East Coast market.

To introduce their product to the marketplace and educate customers about the many varieties and uses of mushrooms, the Heydons frequently set up booths at outdoor fairs, festivals and markets. In addition to letting people see, touch and smell their mushrooms, the Heydons also shared recipes and sold "wrap sandwiches" made with stir-fried mushrooms.

"Now, everyone knows a lot about mushrooms," says Candice, explaining that, a decade ago, that was hardly the case. Adds Dan, "We'd have to give away one sandwich for every two we sold."

At the same time the Heydons were educating customers, they also were educating themselves about operating a business. And for help, they turned to Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (CEI), a community development corporation based in Wiscasset, Maine.

Candice and Dan used a number of CEI services: business counseling, courses and seminars (including classes in Web site design, marketing, and bookkeeping software), and a variety of lending programs.

"All the money we've put into this business we got from CEI," says Candice, explaining that she has used several of its lending programs. Additionally, Oyster Creek participated in CEI's innovative "micro-equity" program, which gave CEI an equity position and provides the business with an infusion of capital. "They do everything they can to help me stay in business."

Slowly but steadily, Oyster Creek has grown and stabilized to the point where, several years ago, both Candice and Dan were able to give up outside employment to devote themselves full time to mushrooms. Over time, they've expanded their customer base to include restaurants around the state, cooperatives, farmers markets, and sales over the Internet. Moreover, they no longer rely on a California supplier, instead growing several varieties on their property and purchasing others from mushroom foragers from throughout Maine.

Locally, in the spring, business booms with Morels, Chanterelles and Black Trumpets. Fall is when pickers stream to the Heydons' farm on cool, crisp evenings with such exotic varieties as Hen in the Wood and Matsutake. In a good year, the Heydons can take in as many as 11,000 pounds of fresh-picked mushrooms in a matter of weeks.

And rarely is there any waste. What doesn't sell fresh is dried. "If I can't sell them dried, I'll grind them up and make powder. I'll sell 'em one way or another," explains Candice.

Still, unraveling the mysteries of marketing is a constant preoccupation for the Heydons. They've been featured in such popular food publications as Bon Appetit and Cooking Light, and participated in the 2002 "Fancy Food Show" in Chicago – one of the biggest food-oriented trade shows in the U.S. But so far they haven't captured a lucrative contract with a big supermarket chain - their ultimate goal.

Undeterred, Candice remains hopeful. "We keep trying different things," she said. "If I'm doing nothing, then nothing will happen. I'd rather do something and do it wrong, than do nothing. This is our whole life … I can't stop. We're into it."

About Coastal Enterprise, Inc. (CEI)
Established in 1977, CEI is a private, nonprofit community development corporation providing technical assistance and financing to Maine businesses that offer income, ownership or employment opportunities for people with low incomes. Since the mid-1980s, CEI has provided more than $6.6 million in financing to nearly 300 women entrepreneurs and training and technical assistance to an additional 10,000 new and existing women business owners. In 1999, CEI was one of five organizations selected to participate in FIELD's "Financing Products for the Poor" learning cluster. With support from FIELD, CEI developed a micro-equity product designed to provide small infusions of capital into certain kinds of businesses. That product is described in detail in a one-hour audio tape, available from FIELD.