Now he is Australia's pre-eminent producer of specialty mushrooms operating just outside the ACT's border.

In a short timeframe Gooda Creek Farm in Murrumbateman has become Australia's largest producer of shiitake mushrooms. The farm is also a large producer of enoki, oyster, king brown and chestnut mushrooms. But the impressive empire is just the start of Mr Wu's plans.

It has taken him less than three years to supply the widest variety of specialty mushrooms in Australia for major supermarket chains Coles and Costco. He also sells his mushrooms to wholesalers.

Two years after arriving in Australia, Mr Wu started looking for the best climate to base his mushroom business. Canberra's chilly nights and warm days proved ideal.

"The climate in Canberra is ideal for mushroom growing," Mr Wu laughed, speaking in his native tongue Mandarin.

Utilising traditional Chinese techniques to grow his mushrooms from his hometown of Fujian province - a well-known mushroom growing region - he calls on the expertise of friends back home to tap into that knowledge.

His farm now produces roughly 2000 kilograms a week with a weekly turnover in the tens of thousands of dollars.

Mr Wu said that he tapped into the Australian market as demand for gourmet mushrooms is high but there aren't many growers in the country."Our order volume has increased therefore our yield has to," he said.

He imports the 'mushroom logs' directly from China.

"It's cheaper to import because the logs take six months or longer to grow which amounts to higher labour costs," Mr Wu said.

The materials of the logs vary depending on the type of mushroom. He said that shiitake mushrooms require wood chips as the main component, whilst enoki and oyster mushrooms need hay and maize. Each log lasts one to two months so he imports them in containers every two to three weeks.

"We're trying to replicate nature by supplying these mushrooms with the nutrients they would normally get in the wild."

"I grow all my mushrooms in one greenhouse that is separated into seven rooms."

Unlike many other large mushroom producers Mr Wu does not cultivate his mushrooms through automation, instead relying on organic methods and hand labour.

Despite his success, Mr Wu has visions of expanding into the food tourism industry of the Murrumbateman region. He wants to partner with the local economy and establish his farm as a more visitor-friendly place. In the future, he plans to pass on his knowledge of mushroom horticulture.

His enterprise is a patient one. It takes 10 days to harvest shiitake mushrooms but up to two months to harvest enoki and oyster mushrooms.

Despite abiding by the aesthetic standards by the supermarket chains, he said that nothing goes to waste on the farm. The logs are composted and nearby wineries come by and use the compost.

He was confident there would be a strong future for specialty mushrooms locally as Australians increasingly developed a taste for the less common varieties.

"Mushrooms are really healthy and emerging in the Australian market. We see good potential in pursuing this business," Mr Wu said.