Segura and Sons Mushroom farm, located across the street from Old Main on the UWSP campus, has been taking steps toward prioritizing environmental health and personal well-being, thanks to founder Jerome Segura.
Segura took his hobby of growing mushrooms in his basement to a new level of environmental change and sustainability by using them for techniques such as bioremediation and breaking down contaminants in water sources.
Originally from New Orleans, Louisiana, he earned his undergraduate degree at Southeastern Louisiana University with a general business concentration in economics.
From there, he continued his academic career and received his master’s degree at the University of Missouri, as well as his PhD from Oklahoma State University in urban and regional economics. Afterward, he became an assistant professor at UW – Stevens Point and later resigned to follow his mushroom growing hobby and do economic consulting as a side job to support his children
Segura with his sons.
Jrome Segura Photo
Segura said, “Mushrooms started out as a distraction for everything going on in my life at the time. At first it was just gourmet and medicinal mushrooms that I had posted on Facebook to share with friends and family.”
However, people started asking him how much he was selling them for, and he took it as a sign to start his business.
Since then, Segura’s business has grown; since starting out in January of 2021, he now grows about 100 pounds of different varieties of mushrooms.
He said, “I’m mostly community supported, and I take my mushrooms to local farmer’s markets in Stevens Point on Saturday’s. I have made progress in selling wholesale to larger stores in Waupaca, Wisconsin Rapids, and other businesses such as Main Grain Bakery and the Stevens Point Co-op during the week.”
Segura grows mushrooms such as oyster mushrooms, lion’s mane, and shiitake, as well as many others. He is up-to-date on research supporting mushrooms and health, where he learned that theycan support cardiovascular health, reduce inflammation, and have anti-cancer and anti-tumor properties. Lion’s mane specifically has been found to remove plaque in the brain which causes Alzheimer’s and dementia.
He explained how his mushrooms have shown to be helpful in filtering water as well.
He said, “Forever contaminants, both hydrophobic and hydrophilic, bind to carbon atoms wrapped in fluorine. The mushrooms will theoretically break down perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic (PFOS) acid and filter out the water through biochar pyrolysis.”
His research has shown that his mushrooms can break down complex molecules into elements to distribute back to the environment. He uses bioremediation to remove toxins from soils because of their ability to eat hydrocarbons.
He also sells at-home mushroom growing kits, wholesale mushrooms, pickled and dried consumables, as well as medical remedy mushrooms on his website. Prices range from five dollars for grow kits, to uwards of 100 dollars, depending on the product and the weight. He features recipes incorporating mushrooms and has apparel for sale, too.
Delila Lyshik
News Reporter
dlysh541@uwsp.edu
