Mellow Cogumelo

Mellow Cogumelo brings together three strands of work: growing gourmet mushrooms, running a mobile Neapolitan pizzeria and tending the land by permaculture. It sits off-grid at Monte Selão, Luzianes-Gare, in the Alentejo, and was founded by Nathalie and Danny, a Belgian-American couple. The mushrooms grow in a straw bale barn fitted with growing tents. Oyster mushrooms, Lion's Mane and other Hericium varieties are cultivated using sustainable methods and harvested fresh for their flavour and texture. The wood-fired mobile pizzeria takes Neapolitan-style pizza to events and catering, made with their own mushrooms and locally sourced ingredients. Alongside the food, the couple are designing and putting in place regenerative land management systems: soil regeneration, water harvesting and native plant restoration, with the aim of building a resilient, biodiverse ecosystem. Off-grid living shapes the daily routine. They produce their own energy and are careful with water, given the limited resources of the site. The two backgrounds meet in the work. Danny grew up in a pizza-making family with Italian roots in New York, and Nathalie grew up in the African bush with a deep connection to nature. They chose the Alentejo to build a shared life around food, cultivation and conservation. The project is still growing, and the team is small and at an early stage. People with skills in mushroom cultivation, pizza-making, farming or craftsmanship are welcome to join and help shape what it becomes.