In this episode of Ventures, my guest Joni Kindwall-Moore (https://www.linkedin.com/in/joni-kindwall-moore-rn-57a81014/) and I discuss the science behind grains, soils, and microbiomes. We also talk about the story of her startup (https://snacktivistfoods.com/) and how her team is helping to regenerate healthy soils and grains to improve human health.

You can watch this episode below or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts (search for “Ventures”).

In this episode we cover the following:

1:33 - Will’s general tee-up for the conversation and introduction of Joni.

2:15 - Joni self-introduction, background, career story in the hard sciences, nursing, and founding a startup.

3:59 - What was Joni working on and researching early in her career?

7:24 - What was the origin story of starting Snacktivist?

10:03 - What is it about processed grains that causes bad reactions in people?

11:30 - What is celiac disease? What is gluten?

13:30 - How did Joni start building her business practically?

16:20 - What was the journey of dealing with initial customers? What did early traction look like?

18:21 - A discussion on sugars. What is the difference between all these different types of common sugars out there?

19:50 - What are the “things” that are around honey and such that make them absorb at different rates than sugar?

21:33 - Where has Snacktivist gone from the early days to today?

26:37 - Why can some people not eat pasta, for example, in the USA but can in Europe?

29:52 - What is the microbiome for humans and in soil science?

34:05 - What are hydroponics? Is this a good thing?

37:30 - Is there hope for Americans to have our soil regenerated?

43:44 - What is monocropping?

46:05 - Wisdom is often where there is uncertainty and nuances (and a willingness to embrace this).

48:45 - More explanation about Joni’s work with Washington State University. How is the team creating economic incentives for farmers to rejuvenate their soil?

52:11 - What is the vision with Snacktivist? What can we buy right now?

54:54 - What are sourdough starters? How does this relate to our conversation? What is the underlying science? How is this different from traditional breads?

58:50 - Where can people find Joni and Snacktivist online? https://snacktivistfoods.com/