Nov 27, 2018 –Hayk Hovhannisyan is a successful Armenian entrepreneur with humble roots. Before setting up his own business, he used to bounce from one low-paying casual job abroad to another. It was at an ECLOF workshop for budding micro entrepreneurs where Hayk had an idea: to get in the oyster mushroom business. Easy to cultivate, healthy and tasty, these mushrooms have become popular for soups and sauces.
With a well-founded business plan in hands, Hayk got an ECLOF loan in 2013 and became the first organic oyster mushroom producer in his region. As his business grew, he participated in other workshops organized by ECLOF and managed to improve his marketing and product quality. With further loans from ECLOF, Hayk began packaging and directly marketing the mushrooms to fairs and super markets. Today, his mushrooms are sold across Armenia. Hayk started just with the help of his wife and their two sons. Today, he has 15 employees working in the business. The whole family is proud of having made the business a success—creating income that provides for all of them. When Hayk now goes abroad, it is not to find a job but to spend holidays with his family!
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