Episode 2

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Published on:

27th Feb 2023

The Journey of a Specialty Mushrooms Farm | Jared Bell

In this episode of the Rooted and Reaching podcast, hosts Nick Kuhn and Bethany Hartley speak with Jared Bell, Founder of Myco Mushrooms, a specialty mushroom farm based in Goshen, Indiana. Jared shares how Myco Mushrooms began with a vision to bring specialty mushrooms to local restaurants, farmers markets, and wholesale distributors. He also discusses why mushrooms are more than just a delicious ingredient, and how they can be used to make packaging materials, clean up radioactive material, and even help repair neural networks in the brain.

QUOTES

  • “You can eat any mushroom at least once. But the thing about the specialty mushrooms is all the different uses that they have and the nutritional value that comes with some of these mushrooms. They all have their different tastes, they're different textures, and they're different smells. And it's like you take a king trumpet mushroom or a blue oyster or a lion's main mushroom, and comparing these mushrooms is kind of like comparing an apple to a head of lettuce.” - Jared Bell [02:15]
  • “I would definitely say there should be some more community outreach, especially youth programs for younger people so that way they can know at a younger age and possibly get started earlier than I did in life towards something more than what they are born into or what their viewpoint is on what they're destined for.” - Jared Bell [12:29]

TIMESTAMPS

  • [00:27] Jared Bell and the origin story of Myco Mushrooms 
  • [03:04] The nutritional benefits of specialty mushrooms
  • [06:54] The business model of a vertical farm
  • [09:01] Running a specialty mushroom business
  • [12:29] The need for community outreach programs



RESOURCES

Myco Mushrooms


CONTACT

Nick Kuhn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kuhnnick/ 

Bethany Hartley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethanyhartley/ 

Jared Bell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jared-bell-ab4aa9246/

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About the Podcast

Rooted and Reaching
Stories about local Startups and Founders in South Bend and Elkhart
There’s a job to do, and in the South Bend - Elkhart region, a midwestern work ethic is changing the narrative from rusty to ready. Our cities are opening up and working together as a region—universities are engaging beyond their campuses, sharing their brainpower and realizing that they’re bigger and better with the community behind them. Organizations are reaching out to newcomers and helping them build local networks, leveling the playing field. Infrastructure is being creatively adapted to be gathering places where new deals are made, new collisions happen, and new entrepreneurs take root. Join the Rooted & Reaching podcast, where we discuss the startup life with entrepreneurs with connections to the South Bend - Elkhart region.

In doing this, we will inform the general public and ourselves about what resources are available and the major pain points of entrepreneurs in our region. This podcast is also intended to tell the amazing stories of our local entrepreneurs in the hope that it will inspire another person in the region considering an entrepreneurial pursuit to take that leap of faith and see the supportive atmosphere in the area.