The Magic of Mushrooms (and Other Underloved Veggies)
I can’t remember a time that mushrooms weren’t a defining element of my personality. I was the pickiest eater growing up, yet I could never eat enough mushrooms.
Mushrooms have been having a moment, between mushroom coffees, mushroom supplements, mushroom handbags (I’m looking at you, Hermès), and even mushroom furniture. For me, an OG mushroom lover, it’s about time that everyone else is finally catching on!
My name is Marilyn Yang, and I’m the Co-Founder and CEO of Fun-Gal Snacks, the parent company of Popadelics Crunchy Mushroom Chips, shiitake mushrooms reimagined for the modern superfood snacker. I started Fun-Gal Snacks and Popadelics with my business and life partner, Michael Casali, during the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic out of our NYC apartment (that’s a whole other story!). And let me tell you - absolutely none of my friends or family were surprised when I told them I was starting a mushroom snack company. In the words of one of my close friends - it was very “on brand” for me.
I can’t remember a time that mushrooms weren’t a defining element of my personality. I was the pickiest eater growing up, yet I could never eat enough mushrooms. Luckily, I grew up in an Asian American family, where mushrooms were commonplace in our diets. And why shouldn’t they be? Mushrooms pack a lot of magic - and not just psilocybin, either. Mushrooms are one of the only vegan sources of protein and vitamin D. Shiitake mushrooms, the star ingredient of Popadelics, are also high in fiber, protein, B vitamins, and minerals like magnesium and selenium. Shiitake mushrooms also have antiviral and antibacterial properties, and some studies have shown that they can even help prevent cancer.
Although mushrooms are catching on, they’re still a bit polarizing. With Popadelics, we wanted to create fun, modern, edgy brand that got both mushroom lovers and doubters excited about eating mushrooms. We’re taking everything everyone ever knew about mushrooms - and throwing it out the window. Our snacks are truly shiitake mushrooms, reimagined, and we wanted the branding to covey that off the bat!
We also wanted to give a nod to - and also challenge - the connotation and connection between “normal” (i.e. non-psychedelic) mushrooms and “magic” mushrooms (i.e. psilocybin). When I say that I’m a founder of a “mushroom snack company”, at least half of the people I’ve met immediately think that I’m working on a psilocybin product. And there’s nothing wrong with that - we indirectly support research into the use of psilocybin to treat mental health via the Fun-Gal Snacks Foundation and its support of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research. But the unfortunate part (and large opportunity!) is that so many people don’t realize that the mushroom world is so much bigger than just psilocybin or white button mushrooms. Our snacks prove that mushrooms are multifaceted - they aren’t just one texture or one type of mushroom and actually have the potential and proven ability to become a super crunchy, chip-like snack like Popadelics. There’s a whole wide world of mushrooms out there, and with Popadelics, we hope to be just one small piece of the ecosystem that helps make mushrooms of all kinds more mainstream.
As for our parent company, Fun-Gal Snacks, Popadelics are only the beginning. We plan to become a platform for innovative snacks and foods that not only leverage mushrooms, but also other “underloved” veggies. There are countless other ingredients and/or veggies, like mushrooms, that are long overdue for their time in the limelight!
In the meantime, I can’t wait for you to transport your tastebuds to the next level in superfood snacking with Popadelics Crunchy Mushroom Chips!
By: Marilyn Yang
The original “fun gal,” Marilyn Yang is a lifelong mushroom and snack enthusiast (and is super excited to have combined two of her favorite things in Popadelics!). Prior to founding Fun-Gal Snacks, the parent company of Popadelics, Marilyn has held roles in private equity investing and investment banking in NYC.
Popadelics Crunchy Mushroom Chips are available for purchase on popadelics.com and in select independent retailers nationwide. Visit popadelics.com and the store locator for more details!