23-Year-Old Takes Over Grandfather's Shiitake Mushroom Farm Garīkas

The Garīkas shiitake mushroom farm is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, and in the same year it has passed from its owner Andris Vjaksa to his grandson Gustavs Riekstiņš, who is 23.

At the Novada garša contest run by the Latvian Rural Advisory and Training Centre (LLKC), the farm's dried mushrooms were awarded a gold medal, while its mushroom powder received silver. Gustavs says it was the farm's first time entering, and the idea was his own. Garīkas is also featured in the Imants Ziedonis Museum publication Pēctecība, as one of the farms the poet once visited.

Among the mushrooms since childhood

Gustavs was born and raised in Liepāja but spent his summers with his grandparents. The family always took part in planting, watering, picking, drying and grinding the mushrooms. He has just completed a forestry engineering degree in Jelgava. As his grandfather grew older and needed help at trade fairs, Gustavs started going along and gradually became more involved.

Last year the business went into a decline as fewer tourists came. Gustavs began visiting markets and creating content for social media, and the farm's recognition grew. By the end of the year, the family decided he would take over.

History and offering

The Garīkas manor is more than 200 years old. In the early 1990s it was in ruins, but Andris Vjaksa restored it. He later spent a month learning the classic method of growing shiitake on logs in the open air from a Latvian living in Canada. The plantation covers one and a half to two hectares.

Fresh mushrooms are sold in season, and at other times dried slices, caps and stem powder are available, including in capsules. Products can be bought from the online shop Shitakeshop.lv and in several towns. The farm offers overnight stays, tours and tastings, as well as a sauna, a hot tub, ponds and walking trails.

Plans ahead

A 140-square-metre greenhouse has been built to grow mushrooms out of season. The family plans to automate processes, expand the online shop and possibly enter the European market.