What They Do
Whitelogs is a one stop shop in the mushroom industry, providing solutions for mushroom farmers in terms of raw materials, climate control devices, and technical information.
Startup Experience
“Whitelogs was started in 2020 by me, Najib Yazbeck, along with my other co-founders. At the time, mushroom spawns (oyster mushrooms) were our main product. However, they were not well known to consumers in the Lebanese market, making it challenging for farmers to sell this product.
After receiving some inquiries about White Button Mushrooms which are popular among Lebanese consumers, we had the idea of offering the required raw materials for white button mushroom production along with the technical information and support that local farmers needed to produce this type of mushroom.
We decided on White Button Mushrooms because they were not only popular in the local market, but also had a relatively high price with a good profit margin in comparison to other agricultural produce. That being the case, this encouraged farmers and entrepreneurs to search for a local raw material provider that could supply them with good quality compost and spawns along with the know-how and support they needed during the establishment of their farms and its cultivation process. Luckily for us, this service was in high demand with no noticeable competitors, making it fertile soil for Whitelogs to sprout in.
We believe that the mushroom industry has great potential for growth and development and can act as a supporting pillar to the revitalization of Lebanon’s agricultural scene. Our passion for mushrooms and the absence of supporters in this field drove us to participate in the Agrytech Accelerator Program so we can establish our spawn production laboratory and equip our compost production yard. Through the program, we were able to equip a mushroom production lab, a small fruiting room for research and development, and a composting yard with a production capacity of 9 tons of mushroom compost per month.
One of our main achievements so far is building a loyal customer base of clients that we have managed to sell our products and services to repeatedly. We’ve supported five farmers in establishing their mushroom production units, which has helped them generate revenues. On the other hand, the challenges around this were closing deals with the smaller farmers as establishing a mushroom farm requires a capital ranging between 8000$ and 15000$. Due to the current crisis, many farmers were not able to afford this service. We are now trying to reach clients who are in search of innovative solutions in mushroom farming with the financial capabilities to install and establish mushroom farms.
Our long-term goal is to expand Whitelogs’ brand architecture, creating a wider variety of products and services related to the mushroom industry, and collaborate with mushroom farmers across the country on products that can be exported worldwide.”
To get in contact with Whitelogs, click here.
About Agrytech
Berytech designed and developed the Agrytech program to make sure Lebanon has the most competitive companies that are sourcing, solving, growing, and transforming food, as well as feeding the world from Lebanon. The Agrytech Accelerator Program is under the ACT Smart Innovation Hub, a new out-of-the-box approach by Berytech, co-funded by the Kingdom of The Netherlands, which aims at strengthening business advancement and job creation in the Agri-food and Cleantech sectors in Lebanon. Berytech supports innovations across these sectors by offering startups the resources, knowledge, support, and funding worth around $35K, necessary to scale their ideas and grow them to penetrate international markets.
