Nestling amongst the majestic peaks near the Swiss capital Bern is Hans and Martin Zürcher's mushroom farm. A company that covers the entire production chain, from mixing raw materials to marketing the chiefly fresh mushrooms. In addition to mushrooms, the company also produces compost, that is supplied weekly to other growers in bulk or ready inoculated in plastic packages.

Nearly every day, 100 % fresh horse manure from the whole of the country is transported by their own vehicles to the Swiss mushroom growers Zürcher. This quality of the manure is subjected to intense scrutiny, as the growers know that constant, high quality mushroom production depends on excellent quality raw material at the very start of the process. The manure is stacked under an open shelter (see photo). If necessary the manure is turned mechanically. Each week the fresh manure is mixed with 80 to 90 kilos of chicken manure and about 26 kilos of gypsum per ton, then moistened with percolate water before the bunker is filled.

There are two bunkers with spigot flooring, producing 250 tons of fresh compost per week. The bunkers were constructed to handle a production of 500 tons fresh compost weekly and so at the moment are only filled to half capacity. This allows production to be stepped up if the market demand rises.

The environment

Just like the Netherlands, Switzerland imposes strict environmental regulations. Partly because of the valley location of Zürcher, it is critically important to keep ammoniac emission to a minimum. For the production of fresh compost in bunkers an ammonia scrubber and a biofilter are both present, built by Gicom. The bunkers are emptied on the same day as the tunnels are filled, which also limits the effects on the environment. In the foreseeable future the entire compost floor will be covered.

Phase 2 en 3

The Zürcher brothers have built five tunnels, two of which are used for phase 2. The three other tunnels are used for incubation. The tunnels have low-pressure flooring. When the fresh compost is filled any correction is made with fresh water. Spawning and preparing the packages with phase 2-compost takes place in a spawning room behind the tunnels. As the same tunnels are used for incubation, the empty tunnels are cooked out after each cycle. When the incubated compost is removed from the tunnel, it is supplemented with champfood, at a percentage of 12 to 13 kilos per ton.

Growing facility

The Zürcher growing facility comprises fifteen Dutch-inspired growing rooms: nine growing rooms of 200 square metres and six growing rooms of 250 square metres. A 6-week schedule is used, so in one week three growing rooms of 200 square metres (600 square metres total) are filled and in the alternate week two growing rooms of 250 square metres (500 square metres total).

The Carbo 7-casing soil comes from Euroveen. This casing soil is supplied weekly, on the day prior to filling. The casing soil is moistened after unloading, then mixed to obtain a homogenous mass. In view of hygiene, the casing soil is stored in a bunker especially reserved for this purpose. On the filling day the casing soil is loaded into a Schuitemaker truck and taken to the growing room where it is evenly distributed via a conveyor into the head filling machine.

The compost is then transported to the growing rooms by the farm's own vehicles. Filling is normally done on Thursdays. One or two growing rooms are CACed and one room isn't. This helps spread the flushes better. Ruffling is done on Tuesdays and Wednesdays to enable accurate control of the harvesting moment,  - a vitally important aspect for companies supplying their own market. Too few mushrooms or too late cropping would mean having to purchase extra mushrooms to meet the orders. If this happens in the Netherlands, high transport costs are inevitable.

Harvesting

Mushrooms in Switzerland are harvested by predominantly foreign labour. Not only for the low costs, but also as the majority of Swiss women are highly-trained employees in other sectors. Three flushes are picked, with most attention paid to high quality. In three flushes with more than 95 percent of mushrooms suitable for the fresh consumer market, the Zürcher brothers currently reach 32 to 35 kilos per square metre.

A typical Swiss trait is growing brown and white mushrooms in the same growing rooms. As this Swiss company supplies its own customers, it must deliver what the market demands. This means producing more than one variety - including chestnut mushrooms. Filling growing rooms with only white or brown varieties is better to achieve an optimal harvest, but doesn’t meet the orders. Growing different types in one room is possible with enough experience.

Packaging

Another typical feature of a Swiss mushroom growing company is a department where the mushrooms are packed to order. This section is where exotic fungi such as shii-take, morrels, cèpes, cantharelles and various other varieties (purchased elsewhere) are packed and prepared for transport.

Delivering produce throughout the country at any time of the day or night is also one of the services expected of mushroom traders by the very demanding Swiss customers!.

Evaulation

Thanks to the enormous effort of the Swiss Zürcher brothers, the company is flourishing in spite of high demands from the trade and by compost buyers, where environmental legislation and the weather conditions are often a great hindrance. The company has built up an excellent reputation in Switzerland, and internationally, helped by the chairmanship of Hans Zürcher at the Swiss mushroom growers association and close foreign ties.

Swiss mushroom growers are also feeling competitive pressure like their colleagues in West Europe. However, Swiss growers offering absolutely perfect produce, can benefit from the fact that Swiss consumers prefer home-grown goods. This is why it's so important in Switzerland to aim for excellent quality and quantity, taking the specific environmental regulations into account, and keeping costs low. The Zürchers are clearly successful on all accounts!