February 10, 2026
The Data-Driven Future of Mushroom Farming
How Funghii Is Changing the Industry
Funghii is an AI tool for mushroom growers. It helps them monitor their crops, achieve higher yields, and improve picking performance. Through data analyses and accurate predictions, the tool supports better daily decisions and long-term planning. CEO Emile Derache explains how Funghii works and what innovations lie ahead.
10% Higher yields, 5% Better picking performance
Belgian tech company Heliovision has developed Funghii: an AI tool for the mushroom industry. The tool combines software and hardware (such as cameras and sensors) to monitor crop growth. It collects important data from growing rooms, like hourly photos of beds, and temperature and humidity levels in the room. All this info is processed in real time and shown in clear dashboards, which gives growers better insights in what is happening in their rooms.
CEO Emile Derache, a mechanical engineer specialized in robotics, describes Funghii’s impact: “Farms using our tool achieve 10% higher yields without expanding their growing rooms. They also harvest 5% more efficiently. Many of our customers recover the subscription cost within one year. How? Because the tool improves their crop monitoring, which helps them make earlier and better decisions!”
Smart monitoring through computer vision
So how exactly does Funghii achieve these improvements?
Growers can use any device to log in via a browser. That’s how they enter Funghii’s secure web application. In the app, they can follow up on their farm at all times, and wherever they are. They can even support on-site staff from a distance.
In the app, a dashboard shows a clear overview of all collected data from the growing rooms. This info is more precise than what humans can see or remember. Derache explains: “Tracking mushroom growth visually is extremely difficult for people. Our software can detect very subtle changes over time by comparing images series of beds, especially in the pinning phase.”
Next, the app shows these detected patterns very intuitively: pins and mushrooms are highlighted green (‘still growing’) or red (‘no longer growing’). This helps growers decide when to adjust room settings or start harvesting. Finally, in case of problems, such as bad room conditions or under- or overpinning, the app sends out alerts. “These notifications can even be sent via WhatsApp,” Derache adds, “so growers are informed immediately.”
Clear and objective farm insights
Growers are constantly adjusting room settings, but it can be hard to see the real effect on the crops. Funghii solves this by linking actions to results, based on measurable data. That way, the tool explicitly shows what worked well and what did not. For example, growers can see how temperature changes affected growth, or which pin density led to the highest yields.
This information is useful both in the short and long term. “Growers can now review their decisions from months ago, which clearly helps their memory. But many users also find it helpful to look at their actions and results from just the last 24 hours!”
Accurate yield predictions
Another key feature of Funghii is its yield prediction per flush. Derache explains: “By analyzing bed images from the mycelium and pinning stages, the system predicts how many kilograms per square meter will be harvested. These predictions are made 24 hours in advance. That is a game changer, especially given mushrooms’ short shelf life. This feature really helps farms to better plan their sales and manage their import and export logistics in time.”
In the future, Funghii aims to offer these predictions already five days before harvest. The tool will also estimate the final mushroom size, in addition to the total harvest weight. And because Funghii is subscription-based, all of these updates and new features will be available for both new and existing users.
From monitoring to full automation
Finally, Funghii will evolve from a monitoring tool into an advisory system. “Currently, growers receive data and insights from the tool. They still have to interpret this information themselves and then decide what actions to take. In the future, the tool will give specific recommendations based on the data it captures, such as to adjust room temperature when crop growth slows down. At first, growers will still make the final call based on these recommendations. But full automation is coming, too: with the system automatically executing the preferred actions.”
Technology as the future of mushroom farming
According to Derache, AI- and data-driven tools are becoming essential in mushroom farming. “Just a year in, we already have a hundred Funghii cameras on nine farms across the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and the United Kingdom – and that number keeps growing. As in any industry: when technology becomes the standard, companies need to adapt or risk falling behind.”
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But it’s not just about keeping up with the competition. Above all, it’s about moving forward: “Automation in mushroom farming is no temporary trend. Funghii truly increases yields and profitability. It does not only help individual farms, but has the potential to transform the entire mushroom growing industry!
Get in touch
Want to learn more about Funghii?
Visit the website or contact the Heliovision team for more information, or to schedule an intake meeting.​
