New Zealand Lion’s Mane Powder
We grow pekepeke-kiore, also known as New Zealand lion’s mane, right here in Queenstown. We harvest, dry and finely mill the mushrooms ourselves. Each 40 g jar contains one ingredient: the mushroom itself, with no fillers or additives.
Stir it into your morning coffee, blend it into a smoothie or mix it through your porridge.
What is Pekepeke-kiore?
Pekepeke-kiore (Hericium novae-zealandiae) also known as Coral Tooth is an edible mushroom native to New Zealand. Often called New Zealand lion’s mane, it’s a close relative of the lion’s mane you might see overseas (Hericium erinaceus). Its branching clusters are covered in soft, cream-white spines that hang down like tiny icicles, which is how it gets its other common name, Coral Tooth fungus.
In the wild, pekepeke-kiore grows on decaying wood, including fallen rimu and beech. As it grows, it helps break down the wood and return nutrients to the forest. The white cluster you see is the fruiting body. Its little spines produce spores, while a network of fine threads called mycelium grows through the wood.
At Remarkable Fungi, we grow pekepeke-kiore in Queenstown and harvest the fruiting bodies. Those are the coral-like clusters we dry and mill into our powder.
Why do we grow New Zealand lion’s mane?
The lion’s mane you often see overseas, Hericium erinaceus, is recorded as absent from New Zealand. Under the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996 (the HSNO Act), a species that wasn’t present in New Zealand immediately before 29 July 1998 is treated as a new organism. For mushroom growers, that means we can't bring in a new live culture of overseas lion’s mane to grow here. The rules help protect our native plants, animals and fungi by assessing the risks before a new species is introduced.
Here in Queenstown, we grow pekepeke-kiore (Hericium novae-zealandiae), the close native relative known as New Zealand lion’s mane. The two mushrooms belong to the same genus, Hericium, and each is a distinct species.
Why we’re excited about New Zealand lion’s mane
How we grow and make our lion’s mane powder
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1. Prepare the grow blocks
We moisten a wood-based growing mix, pack it into bags and sterilise it. Once the bags have cooled, we add grain spawn in our lab.
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2. Let the mushrooms grow
Over the next few weeks, the mycelium spreads through the mix in our dark incubation room, turning the blocks white. When they’re ready, we move them into our fruiting room and cut an opening in each bag. With fresh air and high humidity, the pekepeke-kiore grows through the opening in soft, coral-like clusters.
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3. Harvest and gently dry
We inspect the freshly harvested clusters and select the best ones for our powder. We gently dehydrate them at 60°C for around 10 hours, drawing out moisture while preserving the mushrooms’ natural flavour and aroma.
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4. Blend, test and jar
We check every batch twice for water activity, which measures how much water is available for microbes to grow. We test the cooled, dried pieces before blending them into a fine powder, then test the finished powder again before sealing it in glass jars. Each jar carries a batch code so we can trace it back to the mushrooms it was made from.
How to use it
Our pekepeke-kiore is finely milled so you can stir, whisk or blend it into something you already enjoy. Our suggested daily serving is 1–2 g (about ¼–½ teaspoon).
- In your morning coffee. Stir it into a little coffee first, then top up the mug or pour in your milk. Try it in a long black, creamy flat white or a hot cacao.
- In a smoothie or porridge. Blend it into a banana and peanut butter smoothie, or stir it through warm oats with cinnamon and a drizzle of maple syrup.
- In your eggs. Whisk it into eggs before making a soft scramble or an omelette. It also works stirred into a warm bowl of soup.
Hot or cold, sweet or savoury, pick whatever sounds good to you.