in Belgium, mushrooms are produced from beer and bread

In Anderlecht (Belgium), mushrooms are produced from two ingredients. The first ingredient is unsold organic bread in stores. “The idea is that it will really give nitrogen to the mushroom substrate”, explains Quentin Declerck, co-founder of the mushroom farm. The stale bread is then ground to form a very fine powder. This is then mixed with the second ingredient: beer.

The spent beer is used. This is a residue from brewing. The mixture is enclosed in bags in order to form substrates, which will give rise to fungi. The company produces eight to ten tons of mushrooms a year. The varieties produced are exotic, they are those that are generally imported from abroad. In addition to reusing bread and beer waste, the company is part of a short circuit approach with mushrooms delivered by bicycle.