Erik de Groot

Mushrooms have a big meaning in my life because I’ve worked with them since I was a teenager. I started working as a picker and cleaner and did whatever that had to be done. Later on, I rented my own farm and after that I started working at bigger farms. For several years I worked for Heveco (now known as Prime Champ). At Heveco I gained a lot of experience about all sorts of things, from growing to picking.

After Heveco, I came in touch with Ben en Martin and we started working together. Because I lived in Spain for 5 years it made sense that I concentrated on the Spanish market. In Spain I was involved with several farms as a mushroom consultant and also in making compost en preparing casing soil. In addition, I also gave a course on growing for Spanish growers in their national investigation centre. Besides Spain, I also worked in Italy and Malta. There, I was helping new farms to start up their companies.

In the beginning of 2012, I was asked by Adelaide Mushrooms to come to Australia for a couple of months to see what kind of improvements they could make. Soon they offered me to stay a little longer and that’s why I’m still down under. I look at it as a long-term project.

As a consultant I consider one of my strong points being: my extensive experience (from picking to compost). By working for several farms I gained a lot of experience, which makes it easier for me now to understand the difficulties that growers face. My other strong points are: my teaching skills and my ability to express myself in various languages. In addition, I consider myself being honest and independent. If you want to know more about me, please contact us.

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• Mushroom and Substrate Consultancy
• Ben van de Vorle
• Martin van de Vorle
• Erik de Groot