About Us
We are a private company with a facility in British Columbia and have brought together a team with over 60 years of experience in the mushroom industry and a track record of focusing on distribution, production and extraction.
The focus of Rebel is to initially apply its experiences and skills to the growing processes for fungi (functional and medicinal mushrooms) and extraction of substances of polysaccharides, beta glucans and terpenoids from the functional mushrooms then focus on the psychedelic mushrooms - pending legalization.
Rebel currently possesses two proprietary growing methods, proprietary purification/crystallization method and holds 18 NPN numbers.
Cultivation
Rebel is utilizing two forms of methods to cultivate its mushrooms. 1. Solid substrate growth 2. Liquid substrate growth
Extraction and Crystallization
Our lab division, helps to refine the mushrooms further by crafting powders, extracts and crystals of the polysaccharides (or any other particular compound.
Functional mushrooms
Dietary Supplements not Drugs
By FDA standards, functional mushrooms fall into the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, which regulates vitamins, minerals, herbs and other botanicals which can be sold without FDA approval, provided they’re labeled as dietary supplements and do not claim to treat, diagnose, cure or alleviate the effects of diseases.
Polysaccharides and beta Glucans
Medicinal mushrooms contain many different polysaccharides, but one specific type called beta-d-glucans are responsible for most of their proposed health benefits. Because polysaccharides are water-soluble, they are typically extracted by using the hot water extract method. Only the beta-glucans found in fungi (mushrooms) have the special β-(1→6) branching structure that has the most medicinal potential. These special 1-6 beta-d-glucans are responsible for many of the health-promoting properties of medicinal mushrooms, such as antioxidant activity, boosted immune system function, and blood sugar and cholesterol regulation. They are found in virtually all medicinal mushrooms, such as Lions Mane, Turkey Tail, Shiitake, Reishi, Chaga, and Cordyceps.
Mushroom Structure
Cap: This is the part that gives the fungi its umbrella shape. The mushroom cap protects the pores or gills where mushroom spores are produced. And what are spores? Well, consider them as mushroom “seeds,” although technically speaking mushrooms don’t have seeds. Gills, Pores, or Teeth: Have you ever seen a fish’s gills? Mushroom gills look something like that. Ring: The ring (also known as the annulus) is a partial veil that is left on the stem. It is an extra layer of protection for the spores that grow when the mushroom is still very young. When the cap grows out and breaks through the veil, the remnant is what forms the ring around the stem. Stipe or Stem: The stipe or stem is the long, vertical part of the mushroom that holds the cap above the ground. Mushrooms growing in the wild propagate when the wind scatters the spores. Volva: Mushrooms are covered in a protective veil as they grow out of the ground. This protective veil is called the volva. The mushroom pushes through the volva as it matures, leaving parts of the veil at the bottom of the stem. Mycelium: The mycelium of mushrooms acts like the roots in flowering plants and can produce new mushrooms when the conditions are suitable.
Psychedelic and Functional Mushrooms
Although regulated differently, both functional and psychedelic mushrooms require similar know-hows in terms of product development, manufacturing and distribution. For psychedelic companies looking to cash in on the legalization of psychedelics, functional mushrooms can become a viable way of quickly obtaining revenue and relieve some of the weight that would otherwise be carried solely on investment capital. A few players in the psychedelics space are expanding into functional mushrooms — New Wave Holdings (CSE:SPOR), Havn Life Sciences (CSE:HAVN), Champignon Brands (CSE: SHRM) and Cybin Corp.
OUR TEAM
Long Trinh, CPA, CA - Executive Chairman
Mr. Trinh’s family has been in the mushroom industry for over 30 years and he recently was the Chairman of We Grow BC Ltd where he raised over $15M in private to help fund the company from application stage to cultivation then sales license. Mr. Trinh recently has moved back from 11 years overseas running large public companies were he held the position of GM of Business Administration over seeing Finance, Operations and Risk Management in all facets of the company. He sat on the board of directors of the Canada China Business Council’s Beijing Chapter and Eldorado Gold (Beijing) Management Company Ltd. from March 2013 to December 2016 where he helped Eldorado manage over 3 billion USD in assets, as well as advise other Canadian companies unravel and maneuver through the communist government’s business environment.
Michael Yeung, CFA - President and CEO
Michael has over 17 years of experience in public markets, private equity, and investment banking holding varying roles from equity research, sales and banking. He was the COO of CannaIncome Fund and formerly the Director of Investments for Second City Capital Partners. Over his career, Michael has been involved in multiple sectors including: financial, oil and gas, fin tech, green technology, real estate and health care.
Milton Chen - Chief Science Officer
Milton has a Ph.D in biochemical engineering and is a project manager with 30+ years of Industrial experiences. In his pursuit of valuable products from the metabolic cycle of fungus mushrooms, Milton have explored solid state culture as well as liquid state culture for production of active compounds. Milton have also developed novel processes for extracting valuable compounds from mushroom bio-resources. The extraction step is key to increasing overall yield and efficiency. These processes are integrative to other practices (e.g. chromatography, crystalization) for regulatory compliance and cost-effectiveness.
Balbir Randhawa - Master Growing
Over 20 years in mushroom cultivation. Managed all aspects from sporing, composting, growing, packaging, management and general operations. Balbir sold his last company to a well known large mushroom producer.
Brian Callow - Advisor
Brain runs a successful specialty mushroom growing farm in British Columbia - What the Fungus (WTF). WTF's approach was initially discovered through a collaboration of mushroom experts on sustainable low cost and innovative farming practices. He is the author of How to Start and Succeed Growing Mushrooms. Further, he runs a mentorship program where throughout the years he has taught hundreds of students to grow specialty mushrooms, functional mushrooms and psychedelic mushrooms.
John Campbell - Advisor
From 2011 to June 2020, Mr. Campbell was the Chairman and Chief Financial Officer of Triview Capital Ltd. Since July 2016, Mr. Campbell has served as a director of Sixty North Gold Mining Ltd., a company listed on the CSE. From August 2013 until December 2014, Mr. Campbell served as the Managing Director of Second City Capital Partners. Mr. Campbell is a member of the Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia, a certified public accountant, and a Chartered Financial Analyst. Mr. Campbell has over 30 years of investment management experience as a securities analyst, investment banker, M&A specialist, and money manager with Camlin Asset Management Ltd., CWC Capital Ltd., Pemberton Securities and The Jim Pattison Group.
Murray Isman, Ph.D - Advisor
Murray Isman is a Dean Emeritus at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, after a 35-year career as Professor of Entomology and Toxicology, and as former Dean of the Faculty of Land and Food Systems (2005-2014). He has authored over 200 refereed publications (cited >16,000 times), including 28 book chapters, and co-edited two books. In 2011 he received the Gold Medal for outstanding achievement from the Entomological Society of Canada and was elected a Fellow of both the Entomological Society of America and the Royal Entomological Society (London) in 2014. ** subject to approval
Han Trinh - GM Cultivation
Han has been in the cannabis cultivation for 5 years. He oversaw operations in three different growing operations. The growing techniques he has used will be valuable in the mushroom growing process. Mr. Trinh's family has been in the wild mushroom industry for over 30 years.
INTERESTING ARTICLES
Mushrooms: A True “Superfood”
Mushrooms: A True “Superfood” The term “Superfood” is tossed around a lot these days in advertising, newspapers and magazines. But just what is a “Superfood”? There is no universally agreed upon definition. Certainly there is no official or scientific definition of the term. Some so-called superfoods are promoted as having almost magical health-promoting properties. These […]
What’s the Difference between the Medicinal Mushroom Species Cordyceps militaris and Cordyceps sinensis?
What’s the Difference between the Medicinal Mushroom Species Cordyceps militaris and Cordyceps sinensis? In the wild, both mushroom species are parasites of certain species of moth larvae. Presently, C. sinensis (Cs) products are more widely marketed and distributed than C. militaris (Cm) products. This is perhaps due in large part to the exotic storyline of […]
Mushrooms and Immune Function Dr.Fuhrman
Mushrooms Enhance Immune Function and Protect Against Cancer Dr.Fuhrman www.drfuhrman.com Did you know that mushrooms enhance immune function and protect against cancer? Mushrooms support the immune system Mushrooms contain specialized lectins (ABL) that recognize cancer cells, and prevent the cells from growing and dividing.1,2 Mushroom phytochemicals enhance the activity of natural killer cells, which are […]
Functional Mushrooms Introduction
MEDICINAL MUSHROOMS Introduction Mushrooms are not plants and thus do not use photosynthesis for nutrient acquisition. They have a spore-bearing fruiting body above ground and an extensive cellular network (mycelia) below ground. The fruiting body of mushrooms is an important food used in many cuisines worldwide. Additionally, several species have been consumed extensively as a […]
