“It’s not like we discovered this new mushroom,” Plummer told USA Today’s Parker Gabriel. “These have been around forever, so we’re just looking for ways to grow them efficiently, extract them so they’re very potent, and then make them available to people who are interested in their health and wellness and their preventative maintenance and who are sick and tired of being sick and tired.” Mycolove makes about $8,000 a month in revenue, according to USA Today, by selling mushrooms that are mostly found in North America and can take up to six months to grow. The export process reportedly takes six weeks. Plummer, 47, first learned about the medicinal properties of mushroom extracts while working for a CBD company for years after his NFL career ended in 2007. He said the supplements helped him feel better and sleep better, and he eventually co-founded Umbo to produce and sell mushroom bars and nutritional supplements with two others, including former UFC champion Rashad Evans. But that company faltered during the COVID-19 pandemic due to supply chain issues, prompting Plummer to explore mushroom cultivation. That led Plummer to Mycolove Farm which co-founders Shane Schoolman, Leo Pollio and Michael Heim opened on October 8, 2021. “It was 16 years ago when I was that guy who would drive a team down the field, and since then I’ve changed tremendously, evolved and grown, but it’s still a part of me,” Plummer said. “It doesn’t define me, but it’s a part of me. It allows me to reach more people than a small audience where I live. … I’m not doing it to make a lot of money. I’m doing this because it’s helped me and I think I have an opportunity to spread this word. The story continues “This is past the experimental stage. We experimented for a few months and now we know we can do it,” Plummer added. “Now it’s just gradually entering this big step as a business and as a start-up. We have to have a good product, get people to take it, get it to all the local places we can get it to. Then there are the obvious startup conundrums, scaling up, finding investors, finding a bigger space, more employees, possibly, as we go along. “How far that goes, we don’t know yet.”
Plummer’s faith in alternative medicine
Plummer has been an advocate of non-Western medicine since retiring from the NFL in 2007 after 10 years. After retiring, Plummer said he found solace in alternative medicine and pushed the NFL to consider CBD and hemp products instead of painkillers in 2016. That effort was unsuccessful, but Plummer eventually discovered mushrooms as an even better option for treatment . “For me, my grandfather had Alzheimer’s and, also doing what I did for a living, I try to do anything that can help me get my nerves back and help me get back to square one, what I’m feeling. Plummer said. “Everybody wants to live a long life, I would think. I accept. Longevity, vitality, not just a long life, but a good life, not just in a wheelchair until I’m 120. I plan to be 110 and keep active. That’s my goal.” Plummer spent his last four NFL seasons with the Broncos, where he took Denver to the AFC Championship Game in 2005. He was replaced by rookie Jay Cutler during the 2006 season. Prior to that, Plummer was a second-round pick round in 1997 by the Cardinals. He finished his NFL career with 29,253 passing yards, a 57.1 completion percentage, 161 touchdowns and 161 interceptions over 10 seasons. Jake Plummer has supported alternative medicine since retiring from the NFL in 2007. (John Leyba-USA TODAY Sports)
