Rising Stars: Meet Orion Aon

Today we’d like to introduce you to Orion Aon. 

Hi Orion, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My journey into wild foods and foraging started when I was about 10 years old. A family friend offered to take my dad, brother, and me into the mountains of northern New Mexico to look for wild porcini and chanterelle mushrooms. Summer mushroom hunting became an annual tradition for us after that trip, and is still something I look forward to every year! 

After high school, I moved to Fort Collins to study Natural Resource Management and Fisheries Biology at Colorado State University; both choices shaped by my love for the outdoors and my desire to end up in a career that let me spend time in them. As part of my studies, I added a love for trees and plants on top of my passion for wild mushrooms, and I started learning about and seeking out other edible species while spending time outdoors. 

In 2015 I started Forage Colorado after failing to find a forum to share information with other like-minded foragers. This idea for an online community of foragers quickly morphed into an educational platform where I could share what I was learning with others. Soon after, I started offering the occasional in-person classes, the very first being for a group of a dozen hopeful morel mushrooms hunters! Most people don’t know that morels grow here and one of my first large projects was an article series all about Colorado morels (it can be found on my website). From there I expanded my class offerings to include pretty much any aspect of foraging that someone could want to learn and that I was knowledgeable enough to teach! These include classes on edible plants, tree and plant identification, wild mushrooms, edible weeds in yards and gardens, and more. 

Fast forward to the present. Forage Colorado has grown into a multi-faceted side business and passion project for me. I still offer in-person classes as I can fit them into my schedule around my day job and my other personal duties. I have a website, foragecolorado.com, where I post articles and offer resources for others looking to learn more about the wild foods of Colorado and beyond. I have a Patreon where I offer my supporters a monthly Foraging Calendar, Edible Mushroom Tracker, monthly live chats and Q&A sessions, and more. And, I have a fairly active social media presence on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok where I share my foraging adventures, the meals I make, and plenty of educational photos and videos! 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
So far, it’s been a mostly smooth road, though I would be lying if I said that entrepreneurial endeavors didn’t have their challenges. I’ve had some minor bumps and I’m sure I will encounter more in the future. However, Forage Colorado is still just a budding side business for me. I’ve let the growth mostly come naturally, putting in effort as my schedule allows and not trying to stretch myself too thin. Balancing my time between life, my day job, and Forage Colorado is the biggest current challenge for me. I have a ton of ideas and projects that I would like to pursue that I just haven’t been able to fit in yet! 

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do? 

As I mentioned earlier Forage Colorado isn’t just a one-track business. I have a bunch of different avenues of education. I’ll touch on a few that I’m proud of and that I specialize in! 

I’m proud of helping others learn – My first big project was on morel mushrooms in Colorado. Those articles have had thousands of reads and have led many people to finding their first morels here! I like to think of Colorado morels as my jumping-off point in creating Forage Colorado! 

I’m known for my mushroom and plant identification online – Of all the aspects of foraging, I’m most interested in mushrooms and mycology (the study of mushrooms). I find them fascinating and have been helping people identify mushrooms online for many years. I’m also well versed in plant and tree identification! 

I specialize in customizable classes for small groups – My in-person classes are generally capped at 5 people or less and can be customized to fit whatever the attendees are interested in learning. I prefer to keep the classes small and personal because it really allows us the get into the little details and look at things up close. That being said, I have also led larger classes for mycological societies, high school and college students, and at foraging events. 

I’m set apart in a niche field by trying to offer information in an approachable way – Being a foraging educator already sets me apart as there aren’t too many of us! It is a topic that has seen a lot more interest in recent years though! There’s so much that can be learned when it comes to foraging: mushrooms, plants, and trees, medicinal, herbal, and edible, foods, teas, spices, tinctures, and powders, and so much more! My focus is really on the food aspect of foraging and when I’m teaching, especially with content online. I try to offer information in a way that makes it familiar and approachable. I find that taking a wild food and actually using it in a meal can be the most difficult part for foragers, myself included, so I try to help others make the connection between the wilds and their kitchen. 

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
The pandemic brought about a lot of changes. Supply chain issues, food and supply scarcity, cost increases, and more. People started seeking out ways to become more self-sustainable as well as spend more time outside. Foraging offers both! 

There has been a considerable growth in interest about wild foods and foraging over the last few years, and I only see that interest growing over the next 5 to 10 years. More and more people want to find and grow their own food, become self-sustainable, and self-sufficient. I think we’ll see foraging and wild foods edging into the ‘mainstream’ a bit more in the near future, especially with the ease of information sharing on social media and online. 

Pricing:

• Class Pricing – $75 to $350 depending on length and topics.
• Patreon Tiers – $5, $10, $20 per month.

Contact Info:

• Email: foragecolorado@gmail.com
• Website: https://www.foragecolorado.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/foragecolorado/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/foragecolorado/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@orionaon