The Story of Stoff'n
An idea emerges
2018
While studying in Shanghai, Sebastian discovered how highly edible and functional mushrooms are valued in Asia. Mushrooms also play a central role there in physical and mental well-being. Traditional Chinese medicine recommends eating 150 g of mushrooms a day for a long and healthy life.
Modest beginnings
2020 – 2022
A little research showed the potential of growing mushrooms. They can be cultivated in old buildings that are often no longer usable for anything else. They grow regardless of the season, on residues from forestry or agriculture, which are upcycled in the process.
Sebastian and his wife Lisa then founded Stoff’n and began growing organic mushrooms for regional restaurants on his parents’ farm, the Stoffenbauernhof. In old fruit cellars, they grew 50 – 100 kg of fresh mushrooms a month.
At the same time, the first trials with functional mushrooms began.
The company grows
2023 – 2024
Within a short time, Stoff’n became one of the largest producers of mushroom substrate in Austria. The basic growing methods behind today’s functional mushroom production were developed and the most promising mushroom strains were tested. Sebastian and Lisa began sharing their knowledge in courses and guided tours on site. In just two years, more than 500 people were let in on the secrets of mushroom growing.
In 2024, Sebastian published the book “Faszination Pilzzucht” with Stocker Verlag, together with Michaela Friedl (nutritionist and managing director of the GutBehütet mushroom farm).
The path ahead
from 2025
The topic of functional mushrooms stayed with us. How can they be brought into a highly effective form that the human body can absorb? And where can you find the knowledge to do this?
It was no easy task. Together with experts, Sebastian began reading traditional Chinese writings on functional mushrooms and current scientific literature to find the most effective preparation and extraction methods. After countless more or less successful attempts of our own, we were lucky to meet enthusiastic pharmacists and doctors who supported us with their proven knowledge. Together with them, we developed the Stoff’n liquid extracts from the mushroom fruiting body.
We also supply organic mushroom extracts in bulk for food manufacturers and organic substrate for commercial growers.
This is how it all started: Lisa and Sebastian with their first mushroom harvest.
Meet Sebastian and Lisa
Sebastian
How can a small farm in the Salzburg foothills of the Alps be taken into the future? How can traditional farm life be combined with the demands of modern times? I asked myself these questions for a long time. And as so often, the answer came from a completely unexpected direction.
After starting to learn Spanish and Chinese alongside my degree in wood technology, I worked as a consultant for international companies. At first glance, everything pointed to a life far from my home village, but it was always clear to me that there had to be a way to bring these two different worlds together.
The basic idea for today’s mushroom farm began to germinate during my semester abroad in Shanghai. Chinese supermarkets always have more than a dozen different kinds of mushrooms, so I gradually tasted my way through the range. In Central Europe, by contrast, there is still a certain scepticism about mushrooms, despite their healthy nutrients and variety of flavours.
But how are mushrooms actually grown? I gradually read up on the subject and soon realised it made more sense to simply try it. And so it all began in a dusty fruit cellar in the farthest corner of the Stoffenbauernhof.
Lisa
I am currently a primary school teacher. Before that, I completed a degree in elementary music and dance education at the Orff Institute of the Mozarteum Salzburg and trained as a certified nature and landscape guide with LFI in Upper Austria. Since my youth, I have been fascinated by food and how it connects with sustainability and true regionality, which has made cooking with wild herbs an important part of my diet. I gained my first experience of growing my own food as a member of the community-supported farm “Erdlinge”.
Before Stoff’n, I hadn’t had much to do with mushrooms. But Sebastian managed to pass his enthusiasm on to me. I have since become a passionate mushroom forager and enjoy functional mushroom extracts.
