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Meaningful Marketplace Podcast

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  • #180 No Gluten? No Problem - Sara Woods, Wyoming Heritage Grains

    #180 No Gluten? No Problem - Sara Woods, Wyoming Heritage Grains
    May 8 2024
    Today, we welcome a fifth generation farmer, Sara Woods of Wyoming Heritage Grains. Wyoming is great for spreading out and having lots of elbow room to be a farmer, as the population is not huge nor all that concentrated. The family came out to Wyoming in the early 1900s as homesteaders and their current farm, located in Northwest Wyoming, 70 miles east of Yellowstone, was established in 1946. They have grown just about every commodity crop that exists and also raise beef cattle and alfalfa hay. They are focused on regenerative practices and use multiple species of cover crops and mob grazing to ensure rich biodiversity, and healthy soils. As an interesting note, the land once belonged to Buffalo Bill Cody, and was used as a Country club at one point in time. Irrigation became possible from the Shoshone Water Project from 1899-1947,and the water is fed by the Yellowstone Eco-system. The family farm had started a malting company a few years ago and sold to beverage brewers quite successfully. The pandemic put a hold on that business, but the farm began milling flour as the lockdown put a huge demand on that commodity. Sara left the farm at adulthood, but after having a corporate life and kids, she desired a slower lifestyle. So Sara quit her corporate job and returned as the mill had become a thriving business. It turned out to be a very steep learning curve for Sara as producing flour is not the simple process it appears to be from the outside. The company now offers five to six different grains from their mill and their equipment has been upgraded as the company expands and becomes more efficient. Sara also has gone down the proverbial entrepreneur rabbit holes, experimenting with heirloom vegetables, varieties of animals and other commodities that in the end were not good business ventures. Sara points to our changing diet as a driver for their choices of grains. After World War II, wheat was hybridized in order to feed a growing population. That phenomenon has created a very large population of people who are now sensitive to gluten, so that has served to take wheat out of the mix of grains that can be raised and processed for Wyoming Heritage Grains. Now the older varieties of grains are more tolerable, but of course the yield per acre is smaller than the hybridized wheat, so it becomes a price/quantity/quality puzzle for Sara and the family. The big breakthrough has been finding customers who could not eat grains previously and can now eat Wyoming Heritage Grains every day. Filling that market segment of people who cannot tolerate wheat but want the “wheat experience” has been the family’s success to date. For example, their White Sonora grain was originally brought to the Americas in the 1500s and has been very easy to digest for people with gluten sensitivity. And since the company makes a pancake mix out of the flour, it’s a real treat for every family. Wyoming Heritage Grains also sells Einkhorn grain and flour, a grain that has stayed essentially the same for 10,000 years. The family also has experimented with red and blue corn kernels. There is some great news about cooperation amongst food producers who care about the consumer who is eating what they produce. The family communicates with other millers to coordinate what is being grown and milled to make sure consumers are supplied with all the healthy food they desire. You can find their products in farmers markets in Cody and others around Wyoming. They also are about to be stocked in Bayard Grocery stores. Be forgiving when buying online from their website, as it is being re-built and all the recipes were deleted in the process: https://www.wyomingheritagegrains.com/. Follow them on IG, FB and TikTok: wyomingheritagegrains. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.
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    41 mins
  • #179 It Takes a Scientist - Daniel Stewart, High Country Fungus

    #179 It Takes a Scientist - Daniel Stewart, High Country Fungus
    May 1 2024
    As the Meaningful Marketplace Podcast Show continues its mission connecting food entrepreneurs with resources for success, we explore the six-state Regional Food Business Center one state at a time. Having spent the first two months of this year with Oregon foodpreneurs, we begin learning from Wyoming’s best by joining with co-co host Melissa Hemken from Central Wyoming College. Melissa is the community food systems specialist at the college. Her role is to support market infrastructure and sales channels, boosting food companies from their current level to their next level. Wyoming has a state law that is a big help to entrepreneurs by allowing their cottage industry to flourish. Sounding similar to the Tennessee law discussed in episode #177, entrepreneurs can sell directly from their kitchen to the end consumer without licensing or inspection. The entrepreneur also can sell on consignment through a retailer, expanding their reach far past traditional farmers market sales. Melissa’s program also has put on well-attended multi-day workshops touching on all aspects of the food industry from farming to production to consumer acceptance. Today, the trio is interviewing Daniel Stewart, founder of High Country Fungus offering functional mushroom products for everyday living. They are a small, family-owned and operated business in Riverton, Wyoming and their goal is to offer the highest quality mushroom infused products plus fun merchandise. A physics major in college, Daniel was taking a botany class in 2012 at Washington State University. On an outdoor hike with a group of friends and family in Idaho one of the party came running up with their hat full of morel mushrooms, talking excitedly about all sorts of recipes and what they planned to do with them that week. Daniel had never seen a mushroom before and was fascinated. That moment was Daniel’s "ah-hah!" moment and sparked his continued love and curiosity for mushrooms. Idaho was a perfect spot for mushrooms to grow and while Daniel was working in a restaurant, he began foraging for them. He joined an association, started reading books and began introducing mushrooms into the restaurant. Daniel subsequently moved to Missoula, Montana and had been thinking about starting his own company for some time. He started his first company there in 2019 supplying mushrooms and offering not only mushrooms but also the necessary products for cultivating mushrooms. Then the “roadblock” hit, as happens to all entrepreneurs. It was the beginning of the foraging season for the business. Not only did COVID begin to hit, but while out foraging, Daniel stepped in a wasps’ nest, then blew out his knee running away, requiring surgery. Moment of truth: Keep moving forward to quit? For Daniel, he used the recovery time to think about his next move. The business did not survive, having missed the foraging season, so he and his family moved to central Wyoming, where his wife grew up. It was a high desert climate as opposed to the rain forest Daniel had experienced before. So naturally, he turned to indoor cultivation, which the scientist in him loved as it opened up a whole new world to explore. This was in April of 2021 and started in Daniel’s garage. Daniel has been fortunate to have many mentors along the way and encourages all entrepreneurs to find and work with a mentor if possible. High Country Fungus products are USDA Certified Organic, 100% Mushroom Fruiting Body Extracts. Their mix is made of Lion's Mane, Cordyceps, Turkey Tail, Reishi and Chaga. This mix is at the core of their lifestyle and the foundation of their infusions. The High Five Mix is for all-day energy and clarity; reduced inflammation, bloating, and over all wellness. Shop their products on their website: https://highcountryfungus.com/, Follow them on IG @high_country_fungus and FB@highcountryfungus. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.
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    45 mins
  • #178 Better Butter - Iliana Maura, Iliana Maura

    #178 Better Butter - Iliana Maura, Iliana Maura
    Apr 24 2024
    In this episode, our hosts interview yet another Oregon State University, Food Innovation Center “graduate”, Iliana Maura, Founder of the company that bears her name, Iliana Maura. The company produces dairy-free products for those who wish to or need to avoid dairy. From the start of the show Iliana credits the FIC, for which Sarah Masoni is the Director, for helping refine her product to be ready for the consumer market. The journey to the FIC was a familiar story. Iliana Maura comes from a family of experienced cooks and bakers. Fresh out of college, Iliana was one of the first entrepreneurs to start a line of fruit juice-sweetened cookies. She donated part of her profits from each sale towards helping animals. Her four flavors of gourmet cookies caught on quickly, were sold throughout California and ultimately gained national distribution. Passion for a healthy lifestyle and her love of animals and natural sustainability have always been a big part of who Iliana is. It was only natural for her to explore producing dairy-free products and after experimenting with recipes, began selling in local farmers markets. Iliana Maura foods were an instant hit and Iliana not only had a line outside her booth, but sold out every single week she attended. These markets are the genesis of many successful food products and any food entrepreneur (foodpreneur) who isn’t selling their products in one is urged to check out their local market. In this episode, Iliana has many survival hints for all those entering into farmers market for the first time. It was in that farmers market community she was introduced to and joined the Pacific Northwest Food and Beverage Group, a real family according to Iliana. People in the group told Iliana about the FIC and all the resources available to foodpreneurs. After an introduction to Sarah Masoni, Iliana worked with one of the food scientists and began the process of taking the recipe from kitchen to consumer sales. Iliana Maura currently offers “Divinely Dairy-Free Butter”, an incredible alternative to regular butter, and sugar-free protein bars. Iliana sells both online and currently has one local market carrying her products on the shelf. However, she is always thinking of new products to expand the line and urges the visitors to her website to sign up for her newsletter and offer recipe ideas. In fact, Iliana is launching a new and improved butter product this May, 2024. She has extended the shelf life to five months, for which she again credits the scientist team at the Food Innovation Center. Besides tasting good and a long shelf life, products need great packaging not only to get the consumer’s attention, but to emote an image of satisfying taste, healthy and sustainable processing and the hands-on, caring touch of the founder. Iliana’s logo mark is a stylized self-portrait and says it all for her. It is very feminine, a standout from the more generic butter and bar packaging and is a reflection of her desire to bring wholesome and healthy foods to the world. Besides the one store location and the farmers market, you can order online at https://ilianamaura.com/. Follow Iliana o Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ilianamauraofficial/ . Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ilianamaura/. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.
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    42 mins
Economics
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