Union, South Carolina

MycoWorks Breaks New Ground

It’s showtime! In 2021 we made our Fine Mycelium™ technology scalable at our Emeryville pilot plant, and now we’re unleashing that scalability on a whole new level. MycoWorks broke ground last month in Union, South Carolina, marking the beginning of the first ever full-scale Fine Mycelium™ production facility.

On a sunny Wednesday in July, business partners and community members of the city and county of Union welcomed MycoWorks with open hearts to the official groundbreaking ceremony, where representatives from both MycoWorks and the local community shared what the groundbreaking signifies.

“Let today be a day that we all look back on as a launch point for an outstanding partnership that brought some incredible achievements to life.”
— Sophia Wang, MycoWorks co-founder and Chief of Culture

From the beginning, our goal at MycoWorks has been to unleash our Fine Mycelium™ technology for the benefit of all. With the Union facility groundbreaking, we mark one giant step forward toward meeting that goal. Making our material at scale will allow us to supply brand partners at a higher level and share Reishi™ with more people. More Fine Mycelium™ trays producing Reishi™ sheets means more objects in the hands of consumers. Now, we’re unleashing a community in Union, SC, as excited as we are about what Fine Mycelium™ technology is making possible.

“We are very excited to welcome MycoWorks to Union County, ” says Union County Supervisor Frank Hart. “This project will greatly benefit the citizens of Union County through the jobs which will be created and the diversification of our industrial base within our community.”

“We say the Upstate is where manufacturing and technology intersect, and MycoWorks is showing it by choosing to scale up in Union County. Their sustainable biotechnology products add high-tech opportunities to the region’s vibrant engineered materials ecosystem,” says Upstate SC Alliance President and CEO John Lummus.

“Deciding where to lay down roots was a big decision, but the partnership offered by state and local officials in combination with access to talent and amenities in the area made it easy. We look forward to growing a world class team and operation in Union County, South Carolina.”
– Doug Hardesty, MycoWorks Chief Operating Officer

Not an easy task to build the first full scale production facility for a material that is a living organism. It’s one thing to do one perfect sheet a day, followed by 100 or 1000; when our Union, SC facility is fully operational, we’ll be producing thousands of square feet per day. 

What makes Union, SC a good fit for the first full-scale Fine Mycelium™ production facility? 

With MycoWorks’s deep commitment to culture and Growing the Future, the opportunity to invest in Union’s close-knit community and bring high quality jobs to the area is high on the list. South Carolina has historically been home to the textile industry; inspired by this heritage, MycoWorks is taking part in unleashing a new community of leaders in South Carolina to grow a biomaterials revolution.

MycoWorks also chose the area for its proximity to Charleston, a beautiful coast, and a growing population, among other attractive factors, with an eye toward recruiting and retaining talent from across the country. “We want it to be a fantastic quality of life,” says Sophia Wang. Curious about our job openings? Explore careers here.

“South Carolina’s long history of being an innovator and a powerhouse in textile manufacturing has made this state thrive for a long time, ” says Matt Scullin, CEO of MycoWorks. “We think of MycoWorks as but a continuation of this incredible tradition that South Carolina has established, and we want to bring new technology and a new wave of manufacturing to this state. Together we can usher in a new era for this community with a product that’s ushering in a new era for the entire world.”

Join in on the movement to Grow the Future of Materials. Follow us on Instagram to watch our progress as we scale.