pin_dropSTOFFN organic edible mushrooms, Edt 4, 5205 Schleedorf

In Central Europe, there is still a certain scepticism towards mushrooms. This is despite the healthy ingredients and the variety of flavours. It is important to me to show what a valuable food and remedy mushrooms are. This often requires a lot of explanation, but after the first few words about the exciting world of mushrooms, most people are already captivated by the subject.

On the one hand, I want to contribute to a healthy and appreciative diet. On the other hand, I also want to encourage people to become active. In other words, to break away from consumerism and grow their own food or at least raise awareness of how food is produced.

From studying wood, learning Chinese to growing mushrooms

How can a small farm in the foothills of the Salzburg Alps be led into the future? How can traditional life on the farm be combined with the demands of modern times?
I have been asking myself these questions again and again for a long time. And as is so often the case, the answer came from a completely unexpected direction. After starting to learn Spanish and Chinese alongside my studies in wood technology, I worked as a consultant for international companies after graduating. Whilst at first glance everything pointed to a life away from home, it was always clear to me that it must be possible to unite these two different worlds. 

The basic idea of today's mushroom cultivation began to germinate in me during my semester abroad in Shanghai. More than a dozen different types of mushrooms are always available in Chinese supermarkets. And so I gradually began to taste my way through the range. In contrast, there is still a certain scepticism towards mushrooms in Central Europe. And this despite the healthy ingredients and the variety of flavours. 

"People are like mushrooms: if you protect them from the rain, they can't grow and develop."

~ Pavel Kosorin, Czech aphorist

Mushroom cultivation and courses take their course:

But how are mushrooms grown? I gradually familiarised myself with the subject and soon realised that it made more sense to just give it a go. And so it all began in a dusty fruit cellar in the furthest corners of the Stoffenbauernhof farm.

After the first successful cultivation trials, I gave away the harvested mushrooms to family, friends and acquaintances and this very quickly developed into very good word of mouth. My wife, Lisa Reindl, also helped right from the start. Since we started growing mushrooms four years ago, we have actually been working behind demand and have not yet spent any money on advertising. After a short time, we received the first enquiries about how mushrooms are grown and whether we could pass on this knowledge. I have always been convinced that we can achieve more together.

We have therefore started to offer mushroom growing courses and guided tours for groups. So far, we have already welcomed 1400 people to our farm. Through the courses and beyond, I support mushroom growers both in the hobby sector and in the professional sector. In the last 2 years I have specialised further in the production of mushroom cultures. This is a very specialised field in which there are only a few companies in Europe. I would like to grow and process mushrooms of high quality that are beneficial to health.

Sounding mushrooms with music?

We experienced a funny episode when we took part in the FM4 tractor competition. You could win a tractor for the best farm presentation. One of the things we tried was to see if our mushrooms would grow better with music. That was very original, but the mushrooms are now growing in a quieter environment again.

Tips and tricks?

When growing your own mushrooms, everything always comes down to a few basics. Once you have understood these, (almost) everything works itself out. These are

• Sufficient shade and moisture
• Pay attention to hygiene
• Bring a lot of patience

If you take these 3 points to heart, you are already doing well.

Information, courses and online shop: www.stoffn.at

Sebastian and Lisa Reindl
Edt 4, 5205 Schleedorf
Tel. +43 664 750 936 04
E-mail: office@stoffn.at

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