Michael Basciani began his career in mushroom growing working for his father Mario at the age of 12. In 1979, he started his career in sales, establishing his reputation as “the hardest working man in the mushroom business” selling Basciani’s mushrooms to foodservice distributors throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. He steadily expanded Basciani’s reach during the next thirty years by establishing facilities in Chicago, Minneapolis, Orlando, Denver, and Louisiana to provide those regions with the freshest mushrooms available and lightning-fast customer service.

While others concentrated on the retail side of the mushroom business, Michael has focused strictly on servicing foodservice customers and chain restaurants, which has earned Basciani the title of “The Foodservice Specialist.” He now is part-owner of, and sits on the Board of Directors of The Mushroom Company (the cannery outlet for Basciani’s secondary product) and Laurel Valley Farms (the producer of raw materials for Basciani’s mushroom growing operation).

Their sustainability practices include the recycling of spent compost, used cardboard, and Hemlock bed boards, as well as a Mushroom Farm Environmental Management Plan. Basciani also recycles their own “brown” water into fresh compost, and utilizes packaging and shipping supplies made with 50% recycled plastic.