Mushroom Maven Looks to Expand
Published: Friday, May 15, 2020
An ambitious new agricultural enterprise is about to sprout in Michiana, where third-, fourth-, fifth- and sixth-generation farms occupy so much of the landscape.
Jared Bell, the unlikeliest of newcomers who grew up in South Bend's inner city, with the unconventional crop, gourmet mushrooms, will join the Middlebury farming community with an unusual amount of self-awareness for an inexperienced 26-year-old if all goes according to plan.
"I'm zero-generational," Bell said last Thursday while surveying a farm pasture on C.R. 33 near C.R. 20 he hopes to purchase off the auction block. "I have no background in farming whatsoever, but I know of the Yoders, the Millers, the Bontragers and I want the Bells to be one of those families.
"Of course, it would be hard to get anywhere near as big as them, but I want to be a contender. I'm trying to create a generational wealth my family has never seen."
Right about then, the farm's owner rode up the gravel driveway with his family in a wagon pulled by a high-stepping Hackney pony.
"Are you the mushroom guy?" said the farmer.
"Yes I am," said Bell in a congenial manner consistent with his outgoing personality.
As the farmer turned onto C.R. 33, Bell unabashedly underscored his greenhorn status with most things rural.
"That's the closest I've ever been to a horse," he gushed.
Edible fungus that's among us is another story entirely for the owner of Myco Mushrooms—a name derived from mycology, the study of fungi, and "my company," a tribute to the self-taught Bell's entrepreneurial spirit.
"I don't want to seem too cocky because the more I learn about mushrooms the more I find out what I don't know," Bell said. "But on a scale of 10, with 10 being a dedicated mycologist who's a scholar, I'd say I'm a six-and-a-half to a seven-and-a-half. I'm still learning, but I'm not a novice—not at all."
Over the past 18 months, Bell and his wife have been growing commercial mushrooms in the basement of their nearby Goshen home. Prior to the COVID-19 health crisis, he had been supplying area chefs at upscale restaurants and the University of Notre Dame along with selling them directly to consumers at the South Bend Farmers Market and various others.
"These are top-of-the-line mushrooms you'll see at the best restaurants around the world," Bell said. "I was afraid there weren't a lot of mushroom-lovers out there, but there are and it makes it so worth it to see the look in someone's eyes when they see a mushroom they've only seen in pictures."
The market for mushrooms would be considerable if only the pizza business were taken into account, but they are increasingly being seen as a nutritious option that's low in fat and cholesterol. The worldwide demand is expected to exceed $50 billion in the next seven years, according to Grand View Research, which tracks global industry trends, and research shows that more than 80 percent of home cooks prepare food with mushrooms on a regular basis.
To meet demand, Bell realized he needed to expand. His plans call for a 2,400-square-foot mushroom barn that will include a fruiting room, cooling units and a processing and packaging area for fresh product.
The operation is being funded up-front with his wife's family inheritance and Bell hopes to break ground on the project soon after the auction closes on June 8, with production starting next spring. The facility will allow him to increase year-round output from 90-130 pounds a week to 700 pounds a week.
"This is a big leap for us," said Bell who envisions even more growth and product lines down the road. "We're harvesting every week."
Bell, who could pass for a former college offensive lineman, is confident the demand is there to support what could be a lucrative enterprise.
"I know all the buyers, and they love my product because it's so superior to what they can get at this time," Bell said.
Since fresher is better when it comes to mushrooms, Bell also sees an opportunity to create a market where none exists.
"We are the first and only one to do this in this part of Indiana," he said. "It's still surreal for me to think about that because we're such a farming community."
Among the varieties Bell grows are: lion's mane, various oyster strains, chestnut, shiitake, namenko, pioppini and king trumpets.
Depending on the variety—and there are thousand—mushrooms are said to be beneficial in reducing the risk for prostate cancer and dementia, and fighting against depression, among numerous other claims.
"I have people come into the market early on Saturday mornings just to see if I have lion's mane," Bell said. "That is our No. 1 top, favorite mushroom. We'll have one fruiting room dedicated just to lion's mane."
Bell's journey to become a mushroom magnate began in an underprivileged family environment. The third-oldest of 10 children, he learned the importance of money at an early age.
"I grew up in some pretty tough neighborhoods," he said. "I saw gang members, I saw drug dealings, I saw shootings, but I always knew there was a right way to make money. I was out there cutting grass or shoveling snow since I was in first grade."
Bell's oldest brother, Phillip, was killed at the age of 22 in 2009 and Bell assumed the role of man of the household. After graduating from Clay High School and briefly attending college, Bell helped make ends meet by working a variety of jobs.
Bell also discovered that life could be so much more advantageous outside of the inner-city and he and his wife bought a house in a small Goshen subdivision where they are raising their two small children.
"I lost my brother to some gun violence and that's definitely weighed heavily on my soul, but at the same time it kind of pushed me toward success regardless because he was a very hard worker and a very intelligent person," Bell said. "In a way, I kind of want him live through me a little bit."
Bell was a jack of all trades working at a variety of jobs, including as a delivery driver for Coca-Cola. It was after he was laid off from a truck-driving job for a concrete company that he discovered the niche mushroom industry and his dream is to one day deliver his mushrooms to the regional grocery chain that had a store in his old neighborhood.
"Even as a kid, money has always been on my mind," he said. "Growing up, seeing my mom struggle like that never sat right with me. I hated it and always just said, 'I'm gonna own my own business, I'm going to be an entrepreneur and make a product I can sell in this store."
"We want to show our family and friends that there's another option other than working under somebody else. What inspires me most is all the people who told me I wouldn't be able to do it—it's just me proving them wrong."
As it turned out, the numerous connections he made as a deliveryman helped him build his mushroom clientele.
"It had been almost two years since I worked at Coke by the time I started going to these restaurants and saying 'Hi' again, but I took a chance," Bell said. "At first, a lot of these people were like, 'Hey, it's the Coke man' and now I'm 'the Shroom Guy.' I brought in mushroom samples and they kinda sold themselves."
As recently as last week, Bell was getting orders from restaurants preparing to re-open.
Bell's biggest concerns with expanding are keeping his facility impeccably sanitized to avoid any type of contamination that could halt production and the re-implementation of stay-at-home orders.
Bell is intent on becoming a successful player in the local farm economy. He's been talking to supplying that regional food chain he patronized as a youth, and wants to set up booths at every farmer's market, including Goshen's, within range.
"I want to stay local," Bell said. "I'm not trying to supply Chicago, but I want to be in as many markets as I can. I have a lot of brothers and sisters so I've got a lot of workers."
Bell has also taken to country living.
"I'd much rather fall asleep to the clippity-clop of a horse carriage going by than the sirens and horns honking in the city," he said.
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