Meet Dave Holland | Owner & Mushroom Farmer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dave Holland and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dave, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
Our company motto is “We believe that fresh and healthy food is for Everyone.” To support that message, we donate a portion of our grow to food banks in Atlanta. It’s entirely community funded and supported, so the more we sell, the more we can give.
I think it’s incredibly important to remember that there are hungry people everywhere and they might not be able to afford our product ever. Mushrooms are a bit of a luxury in terms of cost per pound. I can’t see a good reason that even those with the most modest budgets shouldn’t have healthy food. I’ve been to food banks and I see people walk away with canned food, processed boxed goods, and things like frozen chitlins. I think to myself, “Everybody deserves healthy and nutritious food. Imagine if they had some really nourishing food and how that might change their lives.” So, instead of putting my money where my mouth is, I put mouths where the money is.
The biggest challenge that I’ve come across is learning that so many people are grateful for fresh mushrooms, but often times they have NO IDEA how to cook them or what to do with them. So we started putting recipe cards in the boxes and we are planning on doing a cookout this year to show people how simple it is to cook their mushrooms. Free mushrooms and free cooking lessons; I’m excited to offer a little change in the world that feels kind.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We’re a small-but-mighty farm that’s still growing. We opened up in 2024 and have been making our way onto plates in Atlanta since. We are in several local grocery stores and our list of restaurants is growing all the time.

I think what sets Oak & Hazel apart from other mushroom farms is our commitment to community. We are always trying to teach people how to cook our mushrooms through our videos and website blog. We do events at grocery stores where we give samples or put on cooking seminars. I personally take messages and help people of Atlanta learn more and do more with mushrooms as best I can. We offer grow kits so that people can grow their own mushrooms at home and I stay heavily in contact with my customers so they feel confident in growing their own food on their kitchen countertop.

I came from a tech and graphic design background; I’m not an agricultural guy, historically. I’ve always liked having a garden, but the Ag industry is something else. My biggest challenges have been going into business for myself, learning the laws and regulations, and trying to figure out how to sell this amazing product in a highly competitive world. There have been days I have been ready to throw in the towel, but I’ve been playing video games since I was a little boy and if there is anything I’ve learned from video games it’s that when you run into opposition, you’re probably going the right way. So I keep moving and don’t give up. I still have a few lives left, so to speak.

If I had one thing to share with the world about Oak & Hazel, it’s that mushrooms are amazing and you can learn so much about your community and the beautiful people around you by sharing more. Through giving and teaching and sharing, I’ve gained so much love and admiration for Atlanta and it’s people and I don’t think you need to be a farmer to do that. Get some mushrooms, learn to cook them well – I’ll help you, if you’d like, and share them with someone who could use a meal. It never stops being magic, what food can do; what mushrooms can do. I’d like to share that magic with everyone.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Atlanta is full of wildly diverse places to go and things to do and it’s not always what you might typically expect. First stop in my tour of Atlanta is Little 5 Points. That place is just vibe-incarnate. I really love going to Sevananda, the vegan and vegetarian grocery store there, because there’s just something new and cool to check out. I’ve recently become all too familiar with Tommy the Mushroom Man and he’s got an amazing restaurant called Shroom Stop and (yes I’m partial) that’s what I’m having for a late lunch. I’m probably going to Inman Park for a while, taking a stroll through the Aquarium (because it’s the best), and having dinner at my FAVORITE restaurant in all of Atlanta, Nadair. Nadair is off Zonolite rd. and it’s tucked away, but it’s a hidden gem and it’s “last meal” worthy. They even include us vegetarians on their menu and it never feels second place. I adore everything they do and the service is exquisite.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My wife is the biggest inspiration to our company. We literally could not have done anything without her. Her name is on the sign! Her middle name is Hazel and she’s the “Hazel” in Oak & Hazel.
In the early days, I was just an obsessed hobbyist and I kept devoting more of our home to mushroom growing and eventually she saw me as a man who was not happy at his job but had this great passion with potential. I really wanted to get into mushroom farming, professionally, but I was scared to fail. She told me that I could try at something and fail and accept that, but it’s really difficult to accept not knowing what you’re made of and never trying. She had a point. I did my research and started my hike into becoming a mushroom farmer on a commercial scale. I’m still learning a lot about myself in the process.

Website: https://OHmushrooms.com

Instagram: @oh_mushrooms

Facebook: https://facebook.com/OakHazel

Youtube: https://YouTube.com/@oakhazel

Image Credits
I took all the photos