“‘The compost aroma acted on us like Chanel 5 on most women’”
Therese Hirsbrunner, Bert Rademakers and Jan Koopmans at the end of Route 66. Behind Bert is Piotr Spyra.
into windrows and left to ferment for 14 days, with an imposing turning machine driving through the pile of material every two days. In the space of 21 days a well-fermented compost is created. The aroma acted on us mushroom freaks like Chanel 5 on most women. The compost is loaded into trays, the trays are cooked-out and later inoculated and left to incubate in the same trays. The casing soil is also produced on the plant and when the mycelium starts developing in the casing soil layer the trays are transported to growing rooms. An incessant stream of forklifts and vans transports the trays to the various growing rooms spread over the site. White and brown mushrooms are grown here, and there was also a small growing room with oyster mushrooms. The mushrooms are harvested by a Mexican labour force, who clamber up the trays to reach the mushrooms – something unthinkable in Dutch circumstances. All the harvested mushrooms are collected in a warehouse and packing department, where
At Gourmet Mushrooms, they use Japanes bottle technology, growing 10-12 tons per week.
they are prepared for shipment and nationwide distribution. Stringent regulations apply in the packing division regarding clothing and touching the produce. It is strictly forbidden in the USA to touch the mushrooms with bare hands, so gloves are obligatory when picking and handling them. Sales of mushrooms are very good at present and concerted efforts are required to keep up with meeting demand.
Get your kicks.. After all these excursions we paid a visit to Los Angeles and saw the sightseeing highlights such as Beverly Hills and the Walk of Fame and the end of route 66 on Santa Monica Beach. The day after our final night in LA many stories flew across the breakfast table about night time escapades that are not suitable for publication here. To sum up, it was once again an informa- tive and enjoyable trip!
Photos: Bert Rademakers en Ulrich Groos Ñ MUSHROOM BUSINESS 33
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48
