Image: Werner Dedl
“The idea of sustainability motivated us to found the company,” says Julia Scharner in an interview with OÖN. She founded the Mosberger mushroom factory together with her husband Markus. In the old cider cellar on her parents’ farm of the same name, there are ideal conditions all year round for growing noble mushrooms. At 15 degrees, rarities such as hedgehog beard, yellow lime mushroom and white beech mushroom, as well as well-known varieties such as oyster mushroom, king oyster mushroom and shiitake, grow from substrate balls.
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Sales in the region
They only had to adapt the rooms very slightly. “We wanted to make as much use as possible from the available resources,” says Scharner. The mushroom is a sustainable product in itself; it only needs water and organic straw. The mushrooms are sold in the region, either directly from the farm or from selected partners in the greater Linz area. The mushrooms are also well received in the catering industry. A farmer in the neighborhood uses the waste and uses it to create valuable compost. In the old cider cellar, production is almost energy self-sufficient, as the protected rooms neither need to be heated nor cooled. However, additional energy is needed to expand production, which is why the Scharners are planning a wood chip plant that can be supplied with wood chips from their own forests. Mushrooms are currently the Mosberger Hof’s main product. One goal, however, is to farm the areas around the house organically and to keep cattle. The couple also wants to take a more atypical approach and have planted hedges and fruit trees as a first step.
Distill whiskey sustainably
Peter Affenzeller’s career also began at his parents’ farm. Since 2013 he has been producing his whiskeys and other fine distillates such as gin, vodka and rum in Alberndorf in the Riedmark in what he says is the world’s first CO2-neutral whiskey distillery. A photovoltaic system including storage enables the distillery to be supplied almost entirely with its own electricity. The waste is also used as natural fertilizer.
Co-working on the farm
Gernot and Michaela Neuhauser brought an old farmhouse to life. In the sustainably renovated “2kanter” in Engerwitzdorf, co-workers have been able to find ten offices with a total of 21 desks and shared infrastructure in an area of 500 square meters since the end of 2021. The co-working yard also includes two modern meeting rooms with basic technical equipment. Desks can be rented by the day or month; the infrastructure is included.
What all three companies have in common is that they are nominated for Feronia, the OÖNachrichten award for sustainability and climate protection.
Submit by February 10th
The OÖN is awarding the prize for sustainability for the second time after its premiere last year. The aim is to bring the topics of ecology, sustainability and climate protection into the center of society. Companies, associations and initiatives can apply until February 10th.
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