For older millennials and Generation X, a youthful passion for mushrooms was practically a rite of passage. But where the mushroom phase of previous generations typically involved stumbling at concerts or watching The Wizard of Oz while playing Dark side of the moonthe modern youth mushroom movement has more laudable goals and far broader aspirations.
• You are passionate about all types of mushrooms, not just psychedelic ones, and about the potential of mushrooms to improve physical and mental health, sustainable agriculture and the planet
• They eagerly exploit the ancient wisdom that uses mushrooms as medicine, as healing agents, and as gateways to other dimensions
• They are digital natives, building communities and teaching each other mycology, cultivation and permaculture online
• They are entrepreneurs, but also educators who feel obliged to pass on these skills according to the motto “everyone teaches one”. pro bono to the next generation
With Mushrooms, this new wave of makers combines entrepreneurship with health, education and environmental protection. These young people are building businesses, but they are also building a community and creating a movement that has room for everyone.
Here are some of the most exciting new leaders in the American mycology field:
Aixarret Hernandez and Maximilian Esparza from Myceliumatters
Texas natives Aixarret and Max founded Myceliumatters in 2022. It is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public about all uses of mushrooms, from myco-remediation (the ability of mushrooms to eliminate toxins from contaminated soil) to myco-materials (biodegradable, sustainable). bricks and insulation) to gourmet cooking with mushrooms and the latest psilocybin research.
Myceliumatters has a strong service aspect: the organization offers free educational workshops for schools aimed at imparting knowledge about mushrooms to children and young people.
Myceliumatters has produced an amazing array of well-run events that bring together the who’s who of the Myco community: from the first-ever Texas Mushroom Conference in Austin to the Humboldt County Fungi Fest and the Long Beach Mushroom Festival. While the psychedelic element is not overlooked, these events highlight local mushroom farms, educational speakers, vendors offering mushroom-based drinks, foods and supplements, as well as family-friendly workshops on cultivation, wild foraging and building with mycomaterials. Alcohol is rarely served at these events – who needs alcohol when you’re passionate about Mycover?
William Padilla-Brown of MycoSymbiotics and MycoFest
Outside the magazine called Padilla-Brown “a rising star in the mycological movement” and “the face of young, diverse eco-entrepreneurship,” and with good reason. This Pennsylvania prodigy has already accomplished more in the mushroom field than wealthy Ivy Leaguers three times his age—all without formal technical training or a science degree. (He taught himself mushroom genetics and breeding using YouTube and describes himself as a “Google Scholar graduate.”)
Padilla-Brown published the acclaimed Cordyceps Grow Guide (the first English-language book about the notoriously difficult species to breed) before he was old enough to drink. His work was covered in the groundbreaking Mushroom documentary Fantastic mushrooms as well as in VICE, Wired, Buzzfeed And The edge.
The Rolling Stone Culture Council is an invitation-only community for influencers, innovators and creatives. Am I qualified?
His company, MycoSymbiotics, is an educational, research and cultivation facility that sells cultures, spawning and fruiting bodies, as well as advice and courses on foraging, cultivation and extraction. He also founded MycoFest, an annual mushroom and arts festival now in its tenth year.
Padilla-Brown’s love for mushrooms is absolutely infectious, as evidenced by his loyal TikTok fan base. Who wouldn’t want to follow a self-taught permaculturist who farms, raps, and mushrooms?
Tomas Garrett from The Mycozine
Garret was the lead scientist at Oakland Hyphae, the pioneering laboratory for testing and research on the potency of psilocybin mushrooms. He has a BS in Chemistry and an Executive MBA and helped organize the influential Oakland Psychedelic and California Psychedelic Conferences, which bring together grassroots leaders of the mushroom and psychedelic communities.
He is also the founder of The Mycozine, a print magazine that follows mushroom entrepreneurs, activists and events in American Mycozine. Garrett says his release is “entirely based on building community.” He describes himself as an entrepreneur, but like his fellow young leaders, he doesn’t see his venture as a zero-sum “us versus them” ladder-climbing game: “The intention is for people from different cities to promote their goals.” Own communities and at the same time the development of others.”
Jacob DeVecchio of Oklahoma Fungi
When it comes to mushrooms and their uses, Jacob DeVecchio is Oklahoma’s best teacher. A microbiology course at Oklahoma City Community College sparked his interest in the fungal kingdom. Until the pandemic hit, growing was just a hobby; Since then, his business and teaching have become his full-time job and passion (he has described his studies and his fascination with mushrooms as “endless… like the ocean”).
As the owner of Oklahoma Fungi (the state’s leading provider of mycology products), the Oklahoma City Mycology Club and the Oklahoma Mushroom Festival, this self-taught mushroom specialist has taught more than 2,000 students and taught more than 70 mushroom education courses in just the last three years. He has shown the Girl Scouts of Oklahoma how to grow pink oyster mushrooms and Oklahoma State students how to hunt morels.
Oklahoma remains a deep red state, so DeVecchio is working hard to destigmatize mushrooms. His first-ever Oklahoma Mushroom Festival attracted an impressive 1,700 attendees. The October 2024 event will feature vendors, workshops and educational seminars all aimed at promoting mushroom culture in Oklahoma. It is family-friendly: children up to 13 years of age receive free entry to the festival.
There is a quote often attributed to Winston Churchill: “If you are not liberal when you are young, you have no heart.” If you are not conservative when you are old, you have no brain.” (An article about youth states I realize that quoting Churchill might hit me.) Our society often seems politically binary: you’re either a conservative who calls for tax breaks for billionaires, or a Marxist who calls for the downfall of America. What I love about these young leaders is how they show us a different, more humane and inclusive path – and don’t wait for someone else to give them permission to do so. They embody the quote from Adam Abraham Bwiru4: “Youth enthusiasm is the spark that ignites innovation.” These young myco-pioneers give me hope for the future of the mushroom industry and the planet.
