Enjoy beer sans the hangover, but with all the natural-goodness - it’s vegan and gluten-free. And who is the genius behind this? Meet Zoey, the brains behind Fungtn. Read about her vegan journey and how she birthed the idea behind vegan craft beer.You can also find her featured in our June 2021 magazine, access comes with your prime subscription. Get it here:bit.ly/3vHIuEl.
Veganism and business: Why it matters to live in line with your beliefs
I had been an off vegetarian since the cows went mad in the 90’s and my mum stopped us eating red meat. The horrors of what ‘mad cow disease’ actually was (a neurological disease caused by cows being forced to eat other cows) was skimmed over in the pre internet world.
I have always loved all animals. I grew up with them as siblings and would rescue and help any animal I found in need. I wrote a letter of protest to my school refusing to wear a costume in our school play that was made of fur. I collected money for local rescues. Yet, I still ate occasional meat, fish and was a self-confessed cheese fanatic.
How Could My Cognitive Dissonance be so Strong?
The marketing myths of big business and industry were so cleverly interwoven to society that I could just not join the dots of cruelty to the happy smiling pictures of cows and the belief that because dairy did not kill the cows it was somehow kinder and even natural.
How many people came out of childhood not understanding that lamb was a baby sheep and that cows do not naturally produce milk? The true horrors were kept tightly under wraps and people and parents that did question the morality of their foods were shot down with fear of malnourishment and health scares. There were very few alternatives or information and the ‘vegans’ were the weird ones, the hippies, living on the fringes of society. What a world we have created where wanting to not hurt another soul, be compassionate and live a more sustainable life is seen as weird, even dangerous.
Six years ago, I snapped and joined the dots. Over one weekend I watched Cowspiracy, Earthlings, End of the Line and Knives over Forks. I trawled Peta, I read and watched and cried. A lot. The pain and suffering, the raw images and the anger of being lied to was followed by the disillusionment of seeing kind people around me still eat animal products without a care, probe my motives and some even ridiculing my decision to become vegan. It was hard. Thankfully for younger generations the veil is slowly lifting and in the transparent world of shared information, the burden that animals bear to feed us foods we do not need, is becoming glaringly clear.
What Moves Cultures and Changes Perception? The Mainstream!
Food, style, media, celebrities, socials, the billboards on our highstreets and the adverts on our TV’s. Popular culture is what shapes generational beliefs in the West and as the biggest consumers of animal products, we literally put our money where our mouth is. This is where the change makers lie. I realised that bringing “plant based” eating into the mainstream and helping create a culture where making positive change every time you eat, is the way to a more compassionate future.
The power of plants as a delicious and sustainable food source has multiple benefits and health is the undeniable gain that no one can argue with. We are living in a time of antibiotic resistance (driven by over use in animal ag.) low immunity, a mental health crisis and the top killers globally are chronic diseases caused by a high fat, sugar and animal protein based diet. We are slowly killing ourselves and the planet and when you break it down there is only one clear way forward, plant forward!
The voices of change that Oatley, Mykos Creamery, Beyond Meat and many more have given to the vegan movement have begun to change the way society thinks about veganism and our broken food system. I truly believe that food and business is the best vehicle for change we have. We as a community need to embrace and welcome people into the movement and if diet and lifestyle is the key to the back door then I am behind the plant based movement fully.
How can We Turn this Knowledge into Power and Change? - Live what You Believe
I was working as a hospitality consultant when I became vegan and the disconnection made me feel uncomfortable. I soon realised that I wanted to only work with plant based and vegan businesses. I understood the power of brands and peoples intimate relationship to food. I saw this as a vehicle for change and knew that my future businesses must help push this change in the right direction.
I founded the Functional Brew Company to help spread the message of a more sustainable future. Removing alcohol, refined sugar and toxins from our social ceremony and helping bring adaptogenic fungi to the mainstream. Many beers still contain lactose or whey as a filler and some still filter with isinglass (fish guts). The ceremony around having a drink is an important social bond and ritual. Why make it unhealthy and why on earth is a drink made from plants still using animal products in its making?! Fungtn is a part of the future of better beer.
You can read Zoey’s full article on her vegan journey here: www.fungtn.com/news
And don’t forget to check them out:https://www.fungtn.com/
https://www.instagram.com/fungtn.brewing/
If you'd like to be our vegan-preneur of the month, drop us a line atmagazine@leafysouls.com. We would like to share your story and celebrate the ups and downs of veganism with you.