Regal Mushrooms

Digital Transformation – taking us from Microsoft Access to the modern cloud-based Dynamics 365

Clint Tolson is CEO at Regal Mushrooms. “Technology has always played a vital role in our business. We take an innovative approach to how we grow, process and distribute our mushrooms. Right now, our focus is on technology that supports automation, particularly across admin functions, production processes, and data collection throughout the business,” he explains.

When Regal Mushrooms and ThinkMation were first introduced, the key driver for Clint was a much-needed upgrade to his legacy operations platform.

Our legacy system was a Microsoft Access build, created in the late 1990s,” explains Clint. “It’s done well over the years, but with Microsoft Access no longer supported, and more innovative cloud-based solutions now available from Microsoft, we saw this as the perfect time to create something better.

Regal Mushroom has always collected a huge amount of data. In fact, every single punnet of mushrooms is tracked: where it was grown, in which room, who picked it, the size, and the quality. There’s immense potential value in that data, but the potential can only be realised if Clint and the team are able to analyse trends, forecast production, and make smarter decisions around people and operations.

“The Microsoft Dynamics 365 platform installed by ThinkMation enables us to turn this raw and unstructured data into valuable insight. And this enables us to create a healthier and more purposeful organisation.”

Let’s look at the tech involved in this transformation.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 significantly outperforms Microsoft Access because it’s a modern, cloud-based platform designed for scalability, integration, and real-time insights.

Unlike Access and its equivalents, Dynamics 365 offers robust automation, advanced analytics, and seamless connectivity across business systems.

It supports collaboration, remote access, and secure data handling, making it far better suited for today’s complex, fast-paced operational environments.

“The upgrade has given us a modern, more user-friendly platform,” says Clint. “It’s always been more than just driving efficiencies and reducing overheads, for us. We needed a platform in place that enabled the team and I to get real-time insights to the business so we could manage every part of our operations with certainty and confidence.”

People play a vital role at Regal Mushrooms

The average tenure for people within Regal’s harvesting team is four or five years. This strong culture of commitment and loyalty is partly due to the recruitment and training programs in place, and the high-quality tools available to the harvesting teams.

But it’s also due to the culture of recognition and reward that Clint and his management team have created, which is built on the performance tracking capabilities of the Microsoft Dynamics 365 platform.

As Clint has already explained, every single punnet of mushrooms is tracked: where it was grown, which room it was picked in, and who picked it. This enables Regal to track the performance of each employee, so high-performing people can be rewarded, and those struggling to perform to their full potential can get the training and support they need to reach their targets.
It’s this culture of empowerment and reward that sets Regal Mushrooms apart in the agriculture sector and enables it to attract great people.

Clint picks up the story: “Previously, inaccurate or inconsistent data led to second guessing peoples’ performance. Our teams lost trust in their performance numbers, which undermined our performance reviews, bonus decisions, and the overall morale.

“Without reliable data, it was difficult to manage performance effectively. When good performers feel their efforts aren’t properly recognised or rewarded, motivation drops, and the overall production in the business suffers.

“With the Microsoft Dynamics 365 platform in place, we’ve been able to foster a stronger workplace culture, one in which people are treated fairly and consequently feel valued and supported.

“This drives longer retention, especially important in a business where all staff are permanent and it takes time and money to train a skilled picker and packer. By looking after our best people and helping others improve, we’re building a more stable and productive workforce.”

Creating the perfect conditions for the perfect mushroom

Even though Regal’s mushrooms are grown indoors in highly controlled environments, climate change is having a significant impact on the conditions necessary for producing the perfect mushroom.

Rising temperatures, increased humidity fluctuations, and more frequent power outages are impacting yields, quality, and energy costs in climate-sensitive mushroom production.

To navigate these challenges, Regal is utilising the capabilities of Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM to enhance visibility across operations. This includes tracking crop cycles, managing supply chain disruptions, and forecasting demand.
Integrated data insights are helping align production planning with climate and market variability, while automation improves inventory and order management. This enables Regal Mushrooms to maintain consistency, reduce waste, and build resilience in a shifting environmental and economic landscape.

Tejwansh Singh, Founder and Director at ThinkMation, says: “With the impact of climate change now being felt by so many primary producers, we’re being asked to develop systems and platforms that help agribusinesses, like Regal Mushrooms, to monitor, control, and fine-tune their growing environments. This helps them improve efficiencies and enables them to invest time and money where it really matters.”

The true value of ThinkMation is the emphasis it places on relationships

Across sectors as varied as mining, property compliance, disaster relief, agronomy, and biotechnology, all ThinkMation’s clients agree that Tej and his team’s relationship-first approach is pivotal to turning Microsoft Dynamics 365 and the Power Platform into strategic assets.

By listening first, communicating clearly, and prioritising long-term partnership over quick fixes, ThinkMation repeatedly delivers solutions that staff trust, leaders champion, and organisations scale with confidence.

“Tej was brought in after an unsuccessful implementation by another company,” recalls Clint. “We were having lots of issues with the backend integration, in particular connecting into the right data points. It was the complexity of these challenges that triggered the decision to bring in Tej.

“He took over the project, did a lot of rebuilding, and really understood what needed to be done. He’s got a strong team behind him with the right skills and a solid grasp of both the commercial side of business, and how developers think.
“As a team of businesspeople, we talk in terms of outcomes – not code. So Tej is the bridge between the two. This is critical for a business like ours, because although we know what we need the system to do, we’re not developers, so we can’t articulate that in technical language.

“Tej translates our business needs into clear direction for his development team. He understands the operational pressures we’re facing and makes sure the technology is designed to actually solve problems – not just tick boxes.
“This ability to connect the commercial goals with technical execution is what’s made this implementation successful.”

Where are we going tomorrow?

At the end of the day, getting quality data quickly is essential – for management, for growers, and for production teams. Because it enables everyone to make better decisions, more easily and with greater confidence, Regal Mushrooms can now move ahead being able to answer the important question: “What did we do yesterday that’s driving better performance today?”

At Regal Mushrooms, continuous innovation remains a priority, with several initiatives already in the pipeline.

Clint again: “The next focus area for us is to modernise the invoice processes and transition logistics management away from paper-based systems to fully integrated digital workflows. This will enhance connectivity across sales, marketing, and distribution.

“Expanded reporting capabilities are also planned to drive deeper insights and smarter decision-making. The team is actively exploring how AI can play a broader role in streamlining operations and unlocking new efficiencies.

“It’s a journey of continuous improvement and innovation. And it’s great to have Tej and his team, by our side, to make this journey so much easier.”