Schermafbeelding 2020-04-23 om 14.15.42

TRENDING — 24.04.2020

Wouter Hassing, owner of Mycophilia, decided he wanted to rebrand his company together with enbiun during the corona crisis. Why did he choose this moment to do so? And how does the crisis affect his strategy? Read more below!

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First question! Briefly introduce yourself and Mycophilia.

We are Mycophilia; plant nor animal! We are a fungus. Human microbiota contains on average between 10 to 25 different types of fungi. More than 100 different types of fungi that live in humans have already been discovered.

All jokes aside, Marijke (my partner) and I, both became infected with the mushroom virus 10 years ago. It all started very innocently, we looked for them in the forest, then we grew them in the garden and before we knew it, a laboratory was created in our house. This love for mushrooms took on a life of its own. Marijke and I went to China once and discovered the most impressive types of mushrooms. We then took the plunge and decided to grow them in Amsterdam. This was the start of Mycophilia.

"Myco means fungi and philia love for. Mycophilia = the love for fungi."

The corona virus creates a special time in our society, why did you choose this moment to work on the identity of Mycophilia?

Mycophilia is a Latin word. Myco means fungi and philia love for. Mycophilia = the love for fungi. We want to spread this love among people and share the enthusiasm we have with them. Even if the corona virus had not existed, we wanted to work on our identity right now. In recent years, we have invested heavily to make a real impact and difference, and we want to share that with the world, especially in these exciting times.

How does the corona crisis affect your strategy?

Mushrooms are not only very tasty, but also very healthy. I believe that now is the time to make a global shift in our consumption pattern. Local food, sustainable production techniques, less meat, healthy nutrients and functional foods; topics that we have been working on for years now come make way into the lives of the entire population. I think it’s very special to see how these uncertain times bring people together; consumers who purchase from us and are very enthusiastic and order again soon after, entrepreneurs who work together and join hands to get rid of the surpluses. This is the time to forge and strengthen relationships.

How do you see Mycophilia after the Corona crisis?

After the crisis, Mycophilia will look different. We had great growth drift and plans, for example about export and expansion. But the crisis quickly ended that. How we will grow in the coming years is uncertain, but one thing is beyond doubt! Our identity, and our collaboration with enbiun, will play a major role in this.