A plant-based firm’s factory has expanded months after opening, because of a 600 per cent increase in burger and sausage production.

Myco has added another 3,000 sqft to its pioneering production site in North Yorkshire, where it makes the Hooba range.

The extension means Myco can vertically farm far more oyster mushrooms, which are converted into Hooba under the same roof.

Having recently brought the range to market, the company said it has proven so popular it had to expand to meet growing demand.

“Sales of our Hooba range have exceeded even our highest hopes, and the feedback we’ve had from customers has been superb,” said CEO, David Wood.

“We had always planned on scaling up production over the next few years, but to be able to expand as quickly as this is incredibly exciting.”

The company’s Leeming Bar HQ site is one of the most unique food production sites in Britain, with every stage of the process carried out in one place.It has led to the company’s quarter pounder being called ‘Britain’s greenest burger’.

The burger has been awarded a prestigious ‘A Carbon Rating’, leading to the company challenging other manufacturers to meet the standard “for the good of the planet”.

“Sustainability is at the heart of our business, and our goal is to create mouthwatering plant-based products that encourage people to eat less meat, as that’s one of the biggest factors fuelling the climate crisis,” said Myco co-founder John Shepherd.

“Meat-based burgers can be really bad for the planet, and My Emissions found that simply switching to a Hooba burger can save over 1.65kg in carbon – that’s as much as a train journey between Paris and London.

“So to receive an A rating for our Hooba burger feels like a real reward for our team’s hard-work in creating a product that is genuinely helping our planet”

Co-founder John Shepherd, CEO David Wood and co-founder Jay Croslegh

Co-founder John Shepherd, CEO David Wood and co-founder Jay Croslegh

Myco’s growth isn’t just limited to the number of mushrooms it can produce – with the team swelling thanks to two new vital appointments.

Business development consultant Will Marshall and Catherine Priestly, food service business development consultant, have joined the team.

With 18 years in the food industry, Catherine has worked for several notable names including Fable, Meatless Farm and Genius, while Will’s sales and marketing background has seen him in commercial director level positions for the likes of Xerox.

And there is further recruitment on the horizon, with the company expected to fill several other key roles by the end of summer – including a mushroom farmer.

With hopes to employ around 70 staff in the coming year, John Shepherd said the future for Myco looks “brighter by the day”.