Focus on sustainability

Meet Ingrid & Joakim from ToppSopp

Today, I continue my series on last week’s experiences in Stavanger with a story about a couple whose dedication to sustainability – in the fullest sense of the word – is incredibly admirable. I am delighted to introduce you to mushroom producers, Joakim and Ingrid, from ToppSopp.

It was a love of foraging that brought Ingrid Sandvik and Joakim Aarrestad Skarpsno together. Now, parents to four girls, the young couple is more intent than ever about doing their part in creating a sustainable food system. “We wanted to show our children how to grow their own vegetables instead of just going to the grocery store,” Ingrid points out. “I want them to realize where food comes from, to know its value.” 

At a certain point, Joakim’s huge interest in mushrooms led him to try his hand at growing them himself in the family greenhouse. The hobby quickly escalated, taking up more and more space in their home. “He started using part of our storage room as a lab and then expanded to the guest bedroom and garage,” Ingrid laughs. “I told him he had to take this somewhere else!” 

When space became available at his uncle’s farm in Jåttå, located to the southwest of Stavanger’s center, they seized the opportunity, and it was there where they started ToppSopp, a mushroom farm where no concessions are made when it comes to focusing on a truly circular economy. 

Using substrates such as coffee grounds collected from local restaurants and sawdust from local mills, they can potentially grow up to fifty varieties of mushrooms. Currently, however, they produce between five and ten different kinds, including Lion’s Mane, a Norwegian variety which was red-listed, but Joakim managed to successfully clone. Its taste is akin to fresh seafood, and it is known for its myriad health benefits. 

ToppSopp’s offerings largely depend on the feedback they get from customers, but finding the right substrate has been a process of trial and error, as some mushrooms do not tolerate the nitrogen in coffee grounds, for example. Luckily, they’ve now found a universal mix where most mushrooms can grow. Some varieties thrive on adding more coffee grounds, such as the blue-gray oyster mushroom, which becomes more aromatic and develops a richer umami flavor. 

Kasper, who apprenticed with Joakim for seven months before becoming ToppSopp’s production manager, explains the process and shows us how the mycelium, which they grow themselves, colonizes the bags of collected waste. From start to finish, the entire process takes about a month and a half.

ToppSopp started shortly before the pandemic, and at first, they sold mostly at markets and directly to consumers. These days, local restaurants are also a big part of their clientele, among them Ostehuset, where they are used in the quiche I mentioned in yesterday’s post.

Today, not only does ToppSopp continue to experiment by adding things like spoiled milk, rotten eggs and leftover barley from breweries to the coffee grounds, but they are also building their first lab where they intend to do more DNA sequencing and clone wild, local specimens. “I am very passionate about being one hundred percent local,” Joakim explains. Even down to the logos and package design, which are the work of Ingrid. Additionally, ToppSopp believes in transparency. Joakim: “Sharing knowledge is just as important as recycling coffee grounds. It’s what can actually save the world.”

Recently, ToppSopp developed a project called GreenLoops, in collaboration with Waste Up, which focuses on true circular solutions for bio-waste management. It’s these initiatives which make all the difference in helping us move towards a greener future. Needless to say, I’m excited to see what ToppSopp has in store for us next.

Image courtesy of: ToppSopp