Matt Pinstein

Matt Pinstein founded Underground Mushroom Co. as a pandemic passion project that morphed into a true mycelial operation. A Gloucester, Massachusetts-based farmer, he has spent roughly 20 years working in agriculture and local food production, building expertise that now shapes every stage of his mushroom growing process. His work has been featured in Edible Boston and the Palate & Palette newsletter, which highlighted both the art and science of his farming practice and even shared one of his go-to crab cake recipes paired with foraged mushrooms.

Pinstein doesn't just grow mushrooms—he teaches others to do it too. An Instagram post from the company's account notes he leads workshops on indoor mushroom growing for both first-time growers and experienced cultivators. The business also sells spent substrate blocks to home gardeners each fall, a low-waste offering that's limited by the farm's available storage space, per the company's Instagram. On the HIBT Podcast, Pinstein will walk through how he turned a pandemic-era experiment into a sustainable small farm, the challenges of growing premium mushrooms in New England's climate, and why he believes local food systems need more mycological diversity.

The farm's long-term vision remains rooted in education and accessibility. Pinstein sees mycology as a tool for rebuilding local food resilience, and he is exploring ways to expand his workshop model beyond the North Shore. He is also developing a line of value-added mushroom products, from dried seasonal mixes to DIY grow kits, that could reach home growers and chefs well beyond his current farmers market footprint. What began as a basement experiment now feeds into a broader mission: making mushroom cultivation a routine part of New England's local food landscape.