Meet Stephanie Moyal and Jake Mellman | Cofounders

We had the good fortune of connecting with Stephanie Moyal and Jake Mellman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Stephanie and Jake, any advice for those thinking about whether to keep going or to give up?
For us, giving up has never been an option or a thought we would entertain. When you love something so much and have passion for what you’re doing- giving up isn’t in the realm of possibility. When you inevitably face adversity, you pivot, adapt and get creative in finding ways to succeed. It’s a matter of putting one foot in front of the other and doing whatever it takes to get there.

What should our readers know about your business?
Our goal in creating troop is to demystify mushrooms and make them approachable, and what better way than in a delicious gummy?

All of our products are vegan, made with natural fruit flavors and colors and sourced with organically and sustainably cultivated mushrooms all grown in the US.

Our products include:
• super troop – 6 mushroom blend in a delicious strawberry passion fruit gummy
– highlights: energy, focus and mental clarity, immunity boosting and overall wellness
• lion’s mane – lion’s mane mushroom in a tasty peach mango gummy
– highlights: shown to improve focus, energy, overall brain health, inflammation and gut health
• reishi – reishi mushroom in a flavorful mixed berry gummy
– highlights: reduces cortisol levels, immune boosting, antiviral and antiinflammatory responses, improves sleep

More and more mushroom products are coming to market, yet not all are created equal. When comparing products, the biggest differentiator in quality are the mushrooms- are they dual extracted whole fruiting body products, or mycelium-based? In case you’re not sure what this means, here’s a nutshell:

Mycelium is the underground, root structure of the mushrooms. When you start the mushroom growing process, microscopic spores are injected into a bag of grain ie) brown rice, and the spores begin to eat the grain and mycelium is formed. A lot of companies are using mycelium as the “mushroom” in their product. While mycelium does have beneficial properties, you’re not getting much of it as there is so much grain, or starch mixed in with it.

At a certain point in the growth process, the mycelium is taken out of the bag and mixed in with a soil concoction and then mushrooms, or the fruiting body begin to sprout.

While you can eat some mushrooms ie) lion’s mane, you wouldn’t want to eat others ie) reishi- they need to be dual extracted as many of their bio available benefits are locked within their cell walls and need to be dual extracted.

While it’s more expensive to use the fruiting body and dual extract their nutrients, Troop does this for all of our products as quality is of the utmost importance to us.

Getting here wasn’t easy, but what’s worth it rarely is. We’ve overcome challenges by getting creative, focusing and improving communication and always working to evolve as a company and as leaders.

People will always warn you not to start a company with family or friends, but what they don’t tell you is how expensive the therapy is :). Starting a business as cousins and friends has presented its challenges to us, yet it’s been an incredible growing experience for us as individuals and as cofounders. I don’t think either one of us could have foreseen the journey that we’re on, yet neither of us would change it or take it back. Being more self aware and compassionate as individuals has contributed to us being better business partners and cofounders.

One of our favorite facts about the company is how we chose its name. Troop means a group of mushrooms that grows closely together, as such, community is built into the ethos of our brand as it has been since its inception.

Troop was born within at the kitchen table, and it’s our hope that this feeling of community and connection permeates like the mushroom mycelium. We hope to bring people together to connect under a shared passion of health and wellness.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
This is a good question! Here are a few things that come to mind.

Food! Jake and I are both foodies and would definitely want to entertain our friends with some incredible food. Some of the restaurants we love include Jinpatchi for sushi, Cento for Italian and Anajak Thai for Thai food. We would also want to take them for a taco tour and hit up some of our favorite spots like Sonoratown and Holbox.

Sunset on the beach with pizza and wine would definitely be on our list in addition to going to see some live music! LA always has tons of options of great shows to see which is how we usually spend our time.

When it comes to entertainment, look no further than our friend crew. The group is comprised of a group of characters who were meant for theater and or improve. Ranging from impromptu standup comedy to random dance skits to the Moana theme song, our friends would be sure to be entertained.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Our friends and families are definitely first in line when it comes to who we need to thank for their love, support and mentorship. We were both lucky to have grown up with all of the above in our lives and wouldn’t be here without them. Along with our families, books have also helped shape who we are. Our “curriculum” as Jake’s dad loves to call it consists of a few books and we’ve added a few of our own. Some of them include: Richest Man in Babylon, The Alchemist, The Four Agreements, The Untethered Soul, How to Change Your Mind and many more.

Website: https://trytroop.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trytroop/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/troop-nutrition

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trytroop/

Image Credits
©Abbey Pickett Studios or Photography by Abbey Pickett Studios