The roots of our family extend back to the 13th century and are closely intertwined with the history and community of Mühlwald.

As the third of twelve children, Jakob Unterhofer was designated as the main heir to our family farm in 1969. He inherited not only the farm from his father and grandfather but also the knowledge, tradition, and passion for agriculture. At that time, the main sources of income for our farm were dairy farming, sheep breeding, and forestry.

In 1986, he married Maria—a woman equally passionate and committed to agriculture. Together, they have five children who learned from an early age what it means to respect nature and make a living from its gifts. Each child had their tasks and responsibilities, growing up with the understanding that the farm was not only their home but also their livelihood.

A highlight in our family and farm history was in 1987 when our farm was honored with an ancestral farm certificate—an acknowledgment given only to farms that have been in direct succession for at least 200 years. This certificate still hangs in the living room of our farm, serving as a constant reminder of our deep connection to our homeland and the many generations before us who shaped the farm with their hands.

In 2023, Gerhard Unterhofer—the youngest son of Jakob and Maria—together with his girlfriend Nathalie and their little son Max, took over the farm.

Together, we all aim to continue the legacy of the Großgasteigerhof.

We are pleased to be able to utilize environmentally friendly technologies on our farm to make our operations more sustainable.

One of the technologies we employ is an air-source heat pump. This device harnesses the warmth in the air to heat our residential building. With the air-source heat pump, we can reduce our energy consumption and utilize an energy-efficient heating system based on renewable energy.

We also own our own hydroelectric power plant, enabling us to meet our own electricity needs. Our hydroelectric power plant uses water as an energy source to generate clean and sustainable energy. This allows us to decrease our reliance on fossil fuels and make our operations more sustainable.

In addition to the air-source heat pump and the hydroelectric power plant, we use pellets as a fuel source in the holiday home. Pellets are a renewable fuel made from compressed wood chips, including those from our own forest.