Growing up in Southeast D.C., Calvin "JR" Hines didn't question his parents driving miles away for groceries. But when he moved to nearby Barry Farm as an adult, the lack of supermarkets shocked him.
Why it matters: Hines is launching EightFold Farms, an urban agriculture venture in Wards 7 and 8 — part of a new wave of initiatives reimagining how to address food inequality in some of D.C.'s poorest neighborhoods. The mobile unit is off-grid with solar panels and can produce up to 400 lbs of mushrooms a week — lion's mane, blue oyster, black pearl, and shiitake, all of which contribute to a line of fresh, powdered, and dried 'shrooms.
How it works: Hines, a former Hank's Oyster Bar sommelier and server, is planning to establish the mushroom farm as part of a growing network of small, commercial farms throughout Ward 7 and 8. The plan is to stimulate the micro-local economy and feed residents using underutilized spaces like lawns and rooftops, and more mobile units for mushrooms and other "high value" crops.
He's also using his restaurant connections to sell mushrooms to Sonoma Wine Bar and others. Buyers can pre-order products online for free delivery in D.C., and a mushroom CSA is planned. Dried and powdered varieties can be shipped outside the city.
What they're saying: "It's not just farming — it's about shifting culture and creating industry in Wards 7 and 8."
Flashback: Hines debated opening an independent grocery, but realized "that isn't the solution." "It has to be holistic," he tells Axios.
Read the entire article at Axios D.C.