MycoPunks Ltd
We are a small mycology supply company based in the centre of Gloucester at the historic "England's Glory" match factory.
Our mission is to make mycology accessible to as many people as humanly possible.
Warning: We let the team write their own bios. Their views (and typos) are their own!
Meet the team:
Andreas
Andreas is employee no3 at MycoPunks.
He's the output of the local Steiner school and it shows, he writes only using pastel colours and probably could weave you a mean basket.
He's a proper musician too, he plays piano among other things.
He's our flow unit engineer and also works in the lab with Tony.
Favourite mushroom: Something Jazzy.
Currently listening to: Something minimal with beeps and boops.
Anthony
Anthony is one of the founding team members of MycoPunks and our resident Lab Manager.
He’s the author of Medicinal Mushrooms: How they work within the body and runs the popular mushroom supplement company, Cotswold Mushrooms.
The team call me Benjamin Button because I'm 76 but look 35. I attribute this to the occasional life giving cigar.
Favourite mushroom: Pleurotus eryngii (to eat).
Currently listening to: Neil Oliver’s Love Letters to the British Isles podcast series.
Chris
Chris is the founder of MycoPunks.
He spends most of his time trying to outpace his ADHD with stimulants as not to make everyone's life miserable.
He likes being in the woods looking for mushrooms and often wishes that would just be the job - travelling the world lookin for mushrooms.
Favourite mushroom: Marasmius tageticolor
Currently listening to: Fontaines DC / Blindboy Podcast
Chloe
Chloe is one of the newest members of the MycoPunks team and an absolute Pick-n-Pack legend. She also works as a Screen Printer and Prop Maker for animation films in her spare time. She likes eating fat sandwiches at the top of big hills and dislikes people who wait for their toast to go cold before they butter it. She also dislikes talking about herself in third person.
Favourite mushy: Hydnellum peckii (I’m a fucking clique get over it)
Currently listening to: Kav’s incessant shit talking (mum can I come home please all they do is talk about cum)
Derek
Derek Fistpump began working at MycoPunks in 2025 because he saw that there was a golden opportunity to, for once, not be the most socially maladjusted employee at a workplace.
In his spare time he enjoys hiding outside of your window. You won’t see him, he’s really good at it after all these years.
Favourite mushroom: the ones that make the walls melt
Currently listening to: Never Better by P.O.S.
Joe
Joe is Chief Assistant Manager at MycoPunks, he likes cigarettes and chicken breast sandwiches without the chicken or sandwich.
Favorite mushroom: I’m pretty special in that I love all mushrooms equally I’m a bit like Jesus in that regard.
Currantley liscening too: kurdish folk music
Favorite catchphrase: Zing
Special shoutout to JB roofing
Kav
Kav puts things into boxes and loads them onto the van at a very high standard (most of the time). Usually ready with an obscure film quote or a shit joke.
He's tight but generous. Past lives include candle maker, bass player, cad technician and brewer of beer.
Dislikes mushrooms
Loves a 4 day work week
Always listening to: blindboy podcast & last podcast on the left
Paola
Paola was hired in 2022 to make Chris feel better about inclusivity. She started making CVG but soon realised that she can use her Colombian expertise to be 'la jefe' and manage the Production. She loves to make Sam and Chris anxious.
Favourite mushroom: King Oyster
Currently listening to: Chris ADHD music, because she is not allowed to play her music in the office. (Not true - Chris)
Sam
Sam joined MycoPunks in 2022 and after doing a bit of everything he decided to rise through the ranks using nepotism to manage the company with Chris.
He likes CrossFit in his spare time to ensure his body will make it through another weekend of burgers and beers.
Favourite mushroom: Cordyceps tenuipes
Currently listening to: Me First and the Gimme Gimmes
Tyler
Ty is currently the resident grain slinger (and glorified janitor) at Mycopunks HQ. He likes being employed and not having to suckle on the goverment's teat.
On the weekends he also plays guitar and eats peri chicken wraps, but doesn't see how that's relevant.
Favourite mushy: Whatever the village elder just ate
Currently listening to: Ram Dass/Terence McKenna
Sarah & Nick
Chris & Sam's mum and dad innit. Sarah is responsible for keeping this place spotless and Nick is our resident handy person / lab chipper inner.
Keeps em busy in retirement!
Favourite mushroom: Whatever they find in the Forest...
Ruby
I'm Ruby, I'm the MycoPunks mascot. I'm an ardent antifascist, I've been trained to bite gammons without command (I don't take commands).
I have soft fur, a nervous constitution and a beautiful smile.
Favourite mushroom: Whatever Chris is looking at on the floor.
Currently listening to: Whatever is playing, I don't have a choice in the matter.
What MycoPunks stands for:
Environmental Justice
We try our best to have as little impact on the planet as possible whilst supporting grassroots efforts to protect and establish ecosystems. Only got one planet!
Click the button just below to see what we are doing to make MycoPunks a net positive on the world around us.
Social Justice
We consider ourselves to be nice people. We don't take the neutral ground on racism, homophobia, sexism or transphobia. If you're a fan of any of those things you can ✨go and get fucked ✨
We also help out when we see our fellow humans in a shit spot where we can.
Speaking Up
"Should you be using your business account to talk about genocides?" - yeah, we should.
Silence = perpetuation.
We're not The News, we don't see everything, but we'll call out things we know about and think are awful because the people in power want us all to shut the fuck up and ignore horrors.
Supporting Community
One of the things which we love the most about mycology is that anyone can get involved!
We can all experiment and do valid science if we want. We don't need them fancy degrees. Community science, it's a thing, and you can be involved.
Work Hard. Play Hard.
At MycoPunks we've been doing the 4DWW for a few years now. Basically we reduced the work week to 4 days without cutting pay or holiday entitlement.
Why tho?
Because free time is great! We live in a society that coerces us into the workplace in return for food and shelter, but we can at least work out ways to make it less shit for everyone.
How does that work?
We get the same amount of work done in a shorter period of time (Parkinson's Law eh?), the team feels more rested and have way better work life balance. It's a win.
What are the business benefits?
As a business this translates into less mistakes, less sick days, better staff retention, easy recruitment (our last ad had 200 respondents).
What are the employee benefits?
Even if you love your job, you'd rather be with your family or doing your hobby or spending your time how you please, right? Thought so. It's a bit more time to do exactly that.