Young Agrarians is celebrating the eighth year of the Business Mentorship Network (BMN) program. The BMN offers business mentorships to a diverse array of new and young farmers across BC. Through one-on-one mentorship and peer networks, young farmers develop the skills necessary to operate ecologically sustainable and financially viable farm businesses.
The 2022 Mentee Cohort have been working and planning with the support of their Mentors and we are thrilled to profile them and wish them lots of success for the year ahead!
Watch out for applications to open again in fall of 2022!
Please tell us your full name(s), your farm name and who your Mentor is (are).
Our names are Alexis Galus & Marie-Eve Arseneault and our Farm is Smithereens Mushrooms. Our Mentor is Robin Mercy of Mr. Mercy’s Mushrooms.
Where do you farm? Please include the traditional territory acknowledgement if you know it.
We farm in Smithers, BC on the territory of the Wet’suwet’en people.
What do you farm?
We grow and process many different varieties of mushrooms and offer them fresh, dried and added to other foods such as mushroom salt, mushroom risotto and a mushroom coffee substitute.
What inspired you to get into farming?
We are passionate about mushrooms. Marie-Eve is a trained sommelier, and Alexis is a French Chef with over 25 years of experience in gastronomy. We were inspired to grow mushrooms for a variety of reasons. When Marie-Eve’s father was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s, we began to look for ways to protect her from the disease. Our research led us to Lion’s Mane mushrooms. We began to grow other mushrooms valued for their healthful properties, and it seemed a natural step to share what we’ve learned, and Smithereens Mushroom was created. We want to contribute to the food security of our community and share our love of mushrooms on a bigger scale.
What did you do to learn how to farm?
We did our research, read lots of books and learned through experience.
What types of ecological farm practices do you use?
We do not use any chemical or pesticide. We use geothermal to heat the greenhouse. Our farming technique involves vertical farming that makes use of very little water and teh growing medium is wood that is recycled into compost.
What type of business structure is your farm?
We are a corporation.
How much land is under production on your farm?
We grow indoors in a sterile environment of aproximately 1500 sq ft.
What is your land tenure? Are there special relationships that enabled this (family, BCLMP)?
We own the land, zoned in the ALR, and we built a farm facility out of containers.
Why did you apply for business mentorship?
We apllied for business mentorship to get the support of the community, and to learn from different farmer’s experience.
What is the greatest business challenge you face as a new farmer?
Our greatest challengesare the marketing and selling of our products including branding and the setting up of e-commerce capacity.
What is your primary business goal for the season?
We aim to sell, sell, sell mushrooms and mushroom products!
What business tools could you not live without?
Our financial record keeping system, Xero accounting.
If you had a farming robot what would it be?
A robot to do all our packaging!
How can we find out more about you, your farm, and its products? (website, FB, insta, twitter handles)
- https://instagram.com/smithereensmushroom
- www.smithereensmushroom.com
- https://www.facebook.com/Smithereensmushroom/
This program is made possible with the generous funding support of Vancity and Columbia Basin Trust.