NatWest Bring it 2020 has provided £500 of match funding
Converting Waste Into Food For The Community
Bristol, England, United Kingdom
Aim
Turning local waste into mushrooms like Lions mane, Shiitake and oysters. Teaching the community how they can do the same.
Hi! My name is Daisy and I'm looking to start a sustainable, Bristol-based mushroom cultivation business. A revolution in food production is needed. Too much of what we eat has come thousands of miles, lacks nutrition and literally costs the earth. The Cap 'n' Stem aims to empower people through food, food as medicine and knowledge.
Using waste products such as paper, cardboard, hardwoods and used coffee to produce mushrooms such as Lions Mane, Shiitake, Oysters and many more! Whilst producing food for local people and businesses I would also like to start making 'grow kits' so people can realise the joys of mushroom cultivation in their own homes. For those wishing to take things further, it would be brilliant to offer workshops on cultivating from scratch, teaching others how to convert waste products into gourmet food. Alongside mushrooms I would love to grow herbs, particularly those with medicinal uses. I would love to offer subscription packages in which people can get their weekly or monthly mushrooms and fresh herbs delivered. Realising the importance of nutrition in health and making it accessible to people, each delivery would contain information on the beneficial compounds in the food. Eventually I would love to produce mushroom logs and edible hanging baskets that can be placed in parks and other places throughout the city, to inspire and feed others.
Fungi are often over-looked with many not realising the important roles they play. Not only crucial to agriculture, they provide highly-nutritious food and many medicines (anti-viral, vaccines, vitamins, anti-bacterial etc...). Fungal networks underground allow trees to communicate with each other, forming what some have termed the 'wood-wide web'. Mushrooms also exchange nutrients with trees, some estimate that 90% of terrestrial plants associate with fungi and we are only just beginning to understand their importance in ecosystems.
Through cultivating delicious edibles and teaching others how to do the same I hope we can raise awareness about these magnificent creatures and all the work they do for us... Sustainability as the foundation of food production is key to making the world a better, greener place.
The money I hope to raise would be spent on initial supplies like mushroom cultures, an industrial pressure cooker, eco-friendly packaging, laminar flow hood, re-usable bags in which to grow the mushrooms and a small aquaponic system to grow organic herbs. As the business grows, to rent a workspace preferably central in the city so people can easily come and learn. Money would also be used to produce public mushroom grows and edible hanging baskets for the city of Bristol to enjoy.
Peace x
This project successfully funded on 10th April 2020