Toni Mair unter der Eggen
“The Chestnut Man”
-
-
Toni “The Chestnut Man”
“The Chestnut Man” alias Toni Mair unter der Eggen, is a well-known person in Bruneck and the Pustertal Valley. With lots of enthusiasm and diligence he runs a fruit and vegetable kiosk in the historic centre of the city. According to the season he also sells chestnuts, mulled wine, delicious local bacon and other delicacies. Toni Mair unter der Eggen has virtually grown up with the tradition of roasting chestnuts, the business being in family possession since 1950.
-
-
Toni goes Politics
Toni Mair unter der Eggen has held a town council seat in Bruneck since 2014. He campaigned because he wanted to reduce bureaucracy for the town citizens and have their interests be heard and treated quicker. He managed to get the most preferential votes of all candidates in Bruneck at his first attempt to enter politics during the elections in the autumn of 2014.
-
-
Devilishly Toni
“Krampuss” and their masks are a huge passion for Tony. A long time ago his father ignited this passion when he presented him with his old, hand-carved Krampuss-mask. The passion for this old tradition has enthralled him ever since.
-
-
The fire breather
Fire has always been magical for people. It has also captivated Toni who has learnt the art of fire breathing from scratch. His skilful performances enthral the audience and take them with them into an archaic, mythical world. His shows, that include special effects, pyrotechnics and fire shows, are a delight for all the senses.
-
-
Filli Diavoli – The Devil’s children
… this is the name of a by now well renowned and professional Krampuss group from Bruneck. Every two years they organise a Krampuss parade and display live Krampuss and witches parading through the town of Bruneck, under the direction of Toni Mair unter der Eggen. Their exceptionally artful, beautiful yet creepy make-up masks, designed by a professional make-up artist, are their trademark.
-
-
Toni the Promoter
For more than 20 years now has the Krampus parade in Bruneck been organised by Toni Mair unter der Eggen. Initially a fine but small parade, it has developed into one of the biggest and most spectacular parades throughout the region, also thanks to the dedicated help of the Bruneck Town Marketing office. Due to its popularity, a number of Krampus groups from abroad come every year to Bruneck to participate in the parade.
“Typically Toni” – Range of Products
The variety of South Tyrolean food products has it that there is something appealing for every palate. This is why we went looking for traditional, autochthonous products for our clients and have been successful in finding them. Find here a list of some typical food products, which we have chosen for you:
- a selection of autochthonous mushrooms, fresh or died, according to season. Toni, also called “the King of Mushrooms”, has a sound knowledge of mushrooms.
- first quality chestnuts, personally selected by Toni
- traditionally produced bacon
- traditionally manufactured dear salami, ham and smoked pork sausages
- a selection of South Tyrolean mountain cheese
- autochthonous berries from South Tyrolean meadows and forests
- fresh seasonal fruit and vegetables
- South Tyrolean and Italian wine specialities
- high quality schnapps
- Italian specialities such as, virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, truffle oil
Today’s pig is tomorrow’s bacon! (Hunter S. Thompson)
Sun, energy, and fresh air – our crossbred Pietrain and Duroc pigs feel visibly well kept in free-range. There is space enough for them to wander about and explore the meadows.
Free–range bacon. Try and taste the difference
Thanks to all the exercise when running about the meadows and their balanced diet, the meat of our pigs clearly differs in taste from the meat of pigs kept indoors. In addition to the grass and roots, the pigs find while digging their snouts in the meadows, they are only fed cereal grits and minerals. We refrain from feeding the pigs soy or wet food from silage. Moreover, there is no need for antibiotics because the pigs are held in the open and have a healthy lifestyle. This way we receive first quality meat.
Field Slaughtering
The transportation of the livestock to the slaughterhouse becomes unnecessary. The animal experiences no stress and death is imminent. This is the best way of slaughtering, taking the well-being of the animal into account. Field slaughtering has also got a positive effect on the quality of the meat. There are criteria to prove this, such as pH-value, tenderness, colour and the capacity of the meat to hold water.
A Family Company since 1950
For almost 70 years now has the family Mair unter der Eggen been in the tradition of selling and roasting chestnuts in Bruneck. It started in 1922, when Toni’s father, Ferdinand Mair unter der Eggen, widely known as “Chestnut Fred”, started selling the already then much sought-after chestnuts in his handmade hand truck during the winter months in Bruneck. It was hard work then, since the hand truck had to be pulled to the spot for about 10 km by hand every day, rain or shine. Yet, joy, ambition and passion pushed “Fred” to continue and so he soon took his son Toni along and taught him the secrets of roasting chestnuts. Possessing the same prerequisites for this job as his father – diligence, passion and joy for work – Toni built his first fixed stall for fruit and vegetables in 1996, on the spot where today’s kiosk is situated. Since then the kiosk has been part of the scenery of the town by the river Rienz. Local people and tourists alike appreciate Toni’s products. In 2016 Toni Mair unter der Eggen designed a new concept for the fruit stand and built a new kiosk. Today’s appearance of the shop may be modern and functional in design, yet its principles are the same: hospitality, passion and the knowledge about artisanal production of foods remained the same.
Fruit and Gastronomy in the Heart of the Town
Our modern kiosk in the heart of the historical town centre sets new measures as far as vendor stalls are concerned in South Tyrol and abroad. Due to our long experience in this field we developed a completely new kiosk concept in collaboration with an architect. It has been specially designed to meet our needs and thus enables us to work efficiently and make structural changes in the building according to season. All our counters and furniture are mobile and changeable. There are 50 m² of sales area on the ground floor and 130 m² of stockroom, production facility, cold store and showroom in the cellar. Thanks to this space we are able to serve our customers more efficiently, while at the same time creating a welcoming surrounding to dwell, relax and enjoy some time with friends in the heart of town.
Fruit and Catering at the famous Market: “Stegener Markt”
“Stegener Markt”is the biggest goods market in the region of Tyrol in Stegen, near Bruneck and annually attracts thousands of visitors from near and far. On three days at the end of October you can buy everything you need at this winter. Traditionally the local people came to this market to buy all the goods they may need over the long winter months in the region. We are the oldest stall holder there and offer fruit, vegetables and catering. In 2015 we had a mobile stand planned and built. This new stall has a length of 32m and offers 15 m2 of sales area for fruits and chestnuts, as well as up to 100 seats for the gastronomy area. This stall-system is perfect for big events and will be in use also for other events in the future.