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Understanding each other with few words since the early 1990s

‘Everything just happens naturally’

Prochamp is the name of a leading international producer of mushroom preserves, based in Kerkdriel. The canning factory, like the cultivation sites and compost companies, is owned by the Peffer family. Robert Peffer is responsible for the compost and mushroom production, his brother Arjan is responsible for Prochamp canning factory. Robert’s sister Hetty is responsible for sales. What is special about the group of companies is that they are located within a radius of a few kilometers and have the entire production chain under their own control.

The very first mushroom harvesting machine

With a drill, some wheels and a handy brother-in-law, Richard created the very first mushroom harvesting machine. Robert: “This was later further developed with the University of Wageningen. In 1976 my father took over the mushroom cultivation business from my grandfather. In addition, he started a compost business so that the mushroom farm could meet its own needs for compost. Mushrooms are grown on a low compost made from fermented horse manure, chicken manure, straw, gypsum and water. This is covered by a layer of soil that we have been taking from for decades Legro.”

Adequate and good deck floor

“How long we have been relying on the expertise of Legro? I wouldn’t dare say that because the collaboration dates back to before my time,” Robert continues. “I asked my father about it and he said that it has been going on for over thirty years. The most important thing is that we have been able to rely on the constant delivery of sufficient and good soil for decades. We cover the substrate with a layer of soil that ensures the proper water management during growth. This involves large volumes; often a few hundred m3 per week, which is delivered to us by Legro several times per week. The funny thing is that we hardly have any contact. It all happens automatically and that’s a good sign. Our account manager Eric Philipsen only speaks with me a few times a year. Like us, Legro is also a family business that shares the same standards and values. Our collaboration is therefore taken very seriously.”

Keep improving

Looking to the future, Robert sees that they must continue to focus on quality. “As a global player, we face all kinds of challenges,” he explains. These include market developments, inflation, labor availability, energy, and packaging costs. Therefore, over the past ten years we have invested heavily in our substrate production, in the canning plant, and recently in a new mushroom cultivation facility. As a chain-integrated company, we have to focus on many aspects and continuously work on improvements, even when it comes to the annual mushroom cultivation round. As far as I’m concerned, Legro will continue to play an important role as a supplier of high-quality casing soil.”

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