JOIN OUR TEAM

Help Us Build Something Meaningful in Rural Portugal

We are looking for two to four people—ideally two couples—who would like to help us develop a long-term project on approximately 30 hectares in Southwest Alentejo, Portugal. We are also open to hearing from individual candidates who feel genuinely aligned with the project.

Mellow Cogumelo brings together specialty mushroom cultivation, an artisan mobile pizza and food business, regenerative land management, and the ongoing development of an off-grid rural property.

The principal investments in both businesses have already been made. We have a working mushroom farm, a dedicated cultivation laboratory, an equipped commissary kitchen, and a mobile pizza trailer and oven. However, the wider project is still growing and evolving.

This is not a finished retreat or a turnkey business. We are looking for people who feel inspired by the opportunity to help shape something—not simply arrive once everything has already been done.

WHAT JOINING THE PROJECT MEANS

We are looking for long-term partners rather than short-term volunteers or people simply seeking conventional employment.

Paid work or other forms of compensation may be available as the activities develop, but our wider aim is to create fair, lasting arrangements for people who grow with the project and make a meaningful contribution to its success.

We hope to find people who could eventually think of Mellow Cogumelo not simply as:

“This is where I work,”

but rather:

“This is something I am helping to build, and I have a stake in making it successful.”

Any future partnership, financial arrangement or participation in the project would be discussed openly and developed gradually. Nothing is automatic: it must be based on compatibility, trust, contribution, responsibility and shared long-term goals.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

Skills and professional backgrounds can vary. Useful experience may include:

• Food preparation, professional kitchens and pizza making

• Gourmet mushroom cultivation

• Gardening, regenerative agriculture and land management

• Building, repairs and general property maintenance

• Solar or off-grid systems

• Machinery and practical technical work

• Marketing, communication and sales

• Business development and organization

Experience is valuable, but mindset matters just as much.

We are looking for practical, adaptable and self-motivated people who:

• Notice what needs to be done and take responsibility

• Can work independently while remaining part of a team

• Are reliable, punctual and well organized

• Can both give and receive direction

• Are comfortable learning, adapting and solving problems

• Communicate respectfully with colleagues, customers and partners

• Are genuinely interested in rural living and life close to nature

• Understand that off-grid life requires awareness of water and energy use

• Are prepared for practical and sometimes physically demanding work

• Want to commit to a project for the long term

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS

Our land is a strictly non-smoking and drug-free environment.

Candidates must therefore:

• Be non-smokers

• Be drug-free

• Hold a valid driving licence

• Have their own reliable means of transport

• Be seriously open to relocating to the Odemira area

• Respect the land, the local community and a peaceful rural environment

These requirements are non-negotiable.

Our mobile pizza operation serves Neapolitan-style pizza at markets, village gatherings and events throughout the region.

We are particularly interested in meeting experienced pizza makers—ideally people with professional Neapolitan pizza experience—who could gradually take real responsibility for this side of the project.

The work may include:

• Dough preparation and pizza making

• Food preparation in our commissary kitchen

• Setting up and breaking down the mobile operation

• Taking orders and serving customers

• Cleaning and maintaining the kitchen, oven and equipment

• Organizing supplies and event logistics

• Helping develop menus, products and sales opportunities

• Driving and towing the pizza trailer

Professional kitchen experience, the ability to work efficiently under pressure and experience towing trailers would be particularly useful.

Our small-scale farm cultivates specialty gourmet and medicinal mushrooms in an off-grid environment.

Depending on experience and interests, involvement may include:

• Preparing and processing substrates

• Preparing grain spawn

• Laboratory and inoculation work

• Monitoring cultivation and fruiting conditions

• Harvesting, processing and packing mushrooms

• Developing new mushroom products

• Delivering to restaurants, shops and customers

• Attending markets and supporting sales

• Maintaining cultivation spaces and farm infrastructure

Previous cultivation experience is welcome but not essential for every candidate. Attention to detail, cleanliness, curiosity and a willingness to learn are fundamental.

THE LAND

Mellow Cogumelo is more than its two businesses.

The land itself requires ongoing care and development. Future work may involve water management, soil regeneration, gardening, planting, infrastructure, repairs, maintenance and the thoughtful development of the property.

We are therefore also interested in people with practical, agricultural, mechanical, construction or off-grid skills—even if pizza or mushrooms are not their main area of experience.

A POSSIBLE PATH TOWARD PARTNERSHIP

For people who prove to be a strong fit and grow with the project, we want to explore fair long-term arrangements and a genuine path toward partnership.

That process begins with an honest conversation:

• What do you need at this stage of your life?

• What can you realistically contribute?

• What responsibilities would you like to take on?

• Where would you like to be in three to five years?

• Could your goals and ours develop in the same direction?

From there, we can explore whether there is a realistic and mutually beneficial fit.

On-site living may be possible in certain circumstances, but accommodation and practical arrangements will depend on individual needs, availability and the nature of the collaboration. These details must be discussed rather than assumed.

DOES THIS SPEAK TO YOU?

If the idea of helping build something rather than simply joining something already built speaks to you, we would like to hear from you.

Please tell us:

• Who you are

• Where you currently live

• What skills and experience you can contribute

• What kind of involvement you are looking for

• Whether you are prepared to relocate

• What you hope your life could look like in three to five years

• Why this particular project interests you

We are not looking for perfect résumés. We are looking for capable, grounded people with initiative, realistic expectations and a genuine desire to build something together.