"Did I want to be a farmer as a child? You don't think about that at that age," replies Birgit Mosser resolutely. After growing up on her parents' farm in Berg im Drautal, she initially moved to the big city. There she completed a degree in business informatics, soon found an exciting job and enjoyed city life in Vienna. Love was not long in coming either: "I met my husband Sepp during my apprenticeship and we fell in love straight away. We both come from the same hometown, it was an instant match." It wasn't long before a slight nausea became noticeable in the mornings, the first child, Eva-Maria, was announced and the plans of the newly in love couple began to change. "When you're young and unattached, Viennese city life is appealing, but if you want to start a family, your priorities change quickly. I wanted peace and quiet for my children. They should be able to walk out the front door and stumble into the middle of nature, run barefoot across meadows and have lots of animals around them."
Back to the roots
No sooner said than done. They left the city behind and moved back home to Sepp's family farm. On the one hand, it was a gift, as they were able to raise their children together on the farm and the grandparents were always there to help, but on the other hand, the question arose: How can you run the farm economically, keep it in good condition and make a living from it? The idea of direct marketing was born. Birgit remembers it clearly: "We started very small, went to the market for the first time, set up a small table, put bacon, liver sausage, herb spreads, hard sausages and cheese on it and waited. But nobody bought anything." A long road began, but it led steadily upwards on the ladder of success. "My husband and I took one step at a time, both pulling in the same direction." The hard work paid off. The small table of yesteryear became an inviting market stall with a variety of refined products, which are transported in a modern sales trailer with a refrigerated display case.
Refinement with heart
Birgit's hobbyhorse is her cheese specialties. Having learned from her mother, she expanded her knowledge at various courses and seminars in Tyrol and soon began processing her own cheese. Her secret recipe starts with the raw product, the milk: "I work with whole milk, I don't add anything to the milk, but I don't take anything away either. Our cows spend the summer on fragrant alpine meadows, and in winter the hay drying plant ensures the best feed. It's almost like a herbal tea that our animals are served." The philosophy is clear. If the animals feel good, the end product is also good, because many people forget this: Milk production is work for cows. And some people no longer even know why cows give milk at all. Birgit is always amazed by this, but she is happy to explain. The guests should dare to look over her shoulder, experience it, gain appreciation and respect and understand that animals are not just an economic factor, but first and foremost a living being.
A dream of a pot
The second ingredient that must not be missing from Birgit's products is a large portion of love. "That may sound trite, but it's true. What you make with love comes from the heart. You have to make cheese with a lot of calm, otherwise you'll kill the cheese." In addition to the numerous types of cheese and sausage specialties, one product in particular invites you to dream: The potted dream. A cream cheese as a dessert with jam and now the main product at the Binter farm due to demand.
Anyone who wants to help out here is welcome to do so: "Our vacation guests can experience everything here on a small scale." The regular guests agree with the offer because they simply feel familiar and at home. And new guests ultimately travel as friends.
Because Birgit is certain of one thing: "With us, you can see how everything forms a unit. We couldn't pretend or stage anything, because what we do here is our daily work."
Sabine Ertl
www.gedankenschmiede.at, 44 Article(s)
