After some renovation work on the premises, the mushroom farm Maison Vialade presented its new facilities.
“The number of rooms has doubled. We went from 8 to 16 rooms, a third of which is devoted to organic farming and the rest to the conventional production. We grow approximately 50 tons per week,” explains Nicolas Vialade. Among the biological mushrooms, 6,243 square feet are now dedicated to portobello and brown mushrooms. In total, the expansion of the production halls reaches 26,900 square feet over a total area of 107,640 square feet. Led by a Dutch company, expert in mushroom farms, the renovation work cost 3 million euros [3.4 million USD] and was entirely financed by the company’s internal funds.
Maison Vialade plans to hire more pickers to go along with its expansion. The company also continues to invest. Photovoltaic panels will soon be installed on the roof of the building. “We are making a social and environmental transition. Our mushrooms are produced without the use of chemical fertilizers or pesticides, rooted in a contemporary approach. We must be concerned with how to feed the population in 20 years. And the mushroom gives an answer to this problem as it is clean and in a closed circuit. We are also aiming for a High Environmental Value (HEV) certification since we already meet the requirements,” explains Nicolas Vialade.
Source: www.lindependant.fr