Mushroom harvesting technology transferred to Canadian ag tech firm

Published on Freshplaza on December 9^th 2022

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Vineland Research and Innovation Centre (Vineland) announced the transfer of its patented robotic mushroom harvesting technology to Mycionics Inc., a Canadian agtech company located in Putnam, Ontario.

The move comes at a time when the horticulture industry looks to accelerate its automation efforts to benefit Canadian growers with Vineland uniquely positioned to contribute, given its innovative technology portfolio. Today, mushrooms destined for the fresh market are harvested solely by hand, making Canada’s mushroom industry heavily dependent on human labour — a resource in short supply.
Under the terms of the agreement, Vineland’s intellectual property will be incorporated into Mycionics' patent portfolio as it commercializes its mobile robotic harvesting system.

“Today’s announcement is further validation of Vineland’s role as a collaborative force in Canada’s horticulture innovation space and represents an important breakthrough in our efforts to launch impactful labor-saving automation solutions for the industry,” said Ian Potter, Vineland’s president and CEO.

“2022 represents a major milestone for Mycionics as we successfully deployed six of our robotic harvesting systems at Whitecrest mushrooms with no major infrastructure changes. The systems are continuously picking, trimming and packing fresh market-quality cremini mushrooms addressing the labor gap the farm was facing. Merging Vineland’s intellectual property into our existing patent portfolio will amplify the extensive work Vineland has contributed to solving increasing labour challenges faced by Canadian mushroom farms. We are excited to leverage Vineland’s IP,” said Michael Curry, CEO, Mycionics.

Vineland acknowledges the investment and support of the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev) and the Automation Cluster under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership in achieving this milestone.