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Updated: September 22, 2025

Made in Maine: North Spore mushroom company is expanding its reach

Photo / Jim Neuger Ben Chesler, left, CEO of North Spore, and Eliah Thanhauser, president, behind sterile grain bags used for making mushroom spawns.
By Alexis Wells

North Spore, a Portland-based business that sells mushroom-growing kits, is paving the way to make mushrooms the next frontier in wellness.

The company was founded in 2014 by college friends Jon Carver, Matt McInnis and Eliah Thanhauser. The three have served as co-CEOs since the company’s inception, but have recently ceded that title to Ben Chesler, who has started up and grown food companies and led entrepreneur efforts at the Roux Institute of Northeastern University. With Chesler as CEO, Thanhauser will be president going forward.

The company, which is based on Riverside Drive, offers a range of products for mushroom cultivation, including grow kits that are pre-packaged for home use. It also sells cultivation supplies, medicinal mushroom products and mushroom “spawn,” which serves as the seed for growing mushrooms.

“We think there is tremendous untapped potential in growing the market of mushroom growers,” says the new CEO, Chesler. “When people learn about the myriad health and ecosystem benefits of mushrooms, they’re hooked. But only a small percentage of gardeners are actually incorporating mushrooms into their annual gardening plans.”

North Spore has kits for all skill levels. Its most popular beginner-level product is the spray and grow kit.

The grow kits offer a step-by-step tutorial in getting started as a mushroom grower: The kit contains a sawdust block colonized by mushroom mycelium. Getting started is as simple as cutting an X in the plastic, then spraying the area with water. The kit grows best in a humid spot or direct sunlight. The mycelium will sense oxygen and start forming mushroom pins. The mushrooms are harvested as the oysters before the caps flatten, usually two to five days after formation of the “pin,” the first sign of the fruiting body of the mushroom.

“Our goal is to educate as many people as possible about the benefits of growing mushrooms, encouraging them to incorporate them into their gardens or cultivate them indoors year-round,” says Chesler.

All products are crafted at the company’s headquarters at 921 Riverside St. in Portland and are available for purchase on the North Spore website or Amazon, with a number of products offered at $29.99.

North Spore recently received a $750,000 investment from Maine Technology Institute to help fund expansion. 

In an effort to reach a wide customer base, Chesler said the company plans to team up with retailers in the lawn, garden and grocery sectors. North Spore also plans to introduce new offerings, including outdoor grow setups.

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