From the harbor to the ‘Shark Tank’: Meat the Mushroom will debut its vegan bacon on the national stage

Baltimore couple Marvin and Aleah Montague recently went on national television to introduce people to their vegan mushroom bacon. On Friday, you can see how they did.

Shroomacon is the flagship product of Meat the Mushroom, the meat alternative-creating company the Montagues founded in 2021. The couple presented their innovation before the sharks of “Shark Tank,” and their episode is scheduled to air on Jan. 26 at 8 p.m. EST on ABC. It will also be available for streaming on the TV network’s website and Hulu.

Aleah said that her husband, a West Baltimore native and graduate of Edmondson High School, went vegan eight years ago for spiritual reasons. He later found health benefits to that decision, particularly related to a heart condition. After a year of being vegan, his well-being improved, prompting him to stay plant-based for various reasons, including being a father and wanting to be the healthiest version of himself.

“Growing up in that area, [there were] not a lot of healthy food options, [it’s] a bit of a food desert. You know? It’s chicken shacks. It’s McDonald’s, nothing that really can nourish us the way we need to be nourished,” said Aleah, who pointed out the African American community struggles the most with high blood pressure and heart disease. “He really was passionate about trying to fix that.”

Aleah said the venture started out with Marvin, a self-identified inventor, wanting to open a vegan restaurant in what he might call “the hood.” She said her now-business partner experimented with multiple recipes during the COVID-19 lockdown and accidentally made what’s now branded as the only vegan bacon on the market made of sliced mushrooms. He hadn’t yet met Aleah, whose background is in digital marketing, products and retail.

“I came into this life not that long afterwards,” said Aleah. “So, you know, he’s introducing me to the bacon, and it’s COVID, and we’re tasting and I’m like, ‘That does taste like bacon.’”

A lightbulb went off for her husband, who realized he could reach more people with a product instead of a restaurant.

The pair quickly pivoted into manufacturing Shroomacon right here in Baltimore. Aleah, a native of New Jersey and alum of Rutgers University, told Technical.ly that production recently ramped up due to the “Shark Tank” announcement. Meat the Mushroom was a team of three and is now a team of six.

“I love that we’re able to bring even [just] a handful of jobs to Baltimore,” said Aleah.

Even before its appearance on “Shark Tank,” Shroomacon had already caught the attention of vegan influencer and TV host Tabitha Brown, whom Marvin met in person at Memphis Vegan Brunch.

Even Brown, a recent Emmy winner, turns to Montague’s meat alternative on her “tough days,” as she said in the description of a recent TikTok post.

@iamtabithabrown

Sometimes we have tough days, but a blt-pa makes it better❤️. Love yall! #vegan #mushroom #bacon #blt #tabithabrown

♬ original sound – Tabitha Brown

“We couldn’t afford to pay her to post, you know? We’re not there yet,” said Aleah. “So she did that out of the goodness of her heart and out of sharing a product that she really loves. That, to me, made it all the better. … This was not a paid endorsement. This is America’s favorite auntie and she loves Shroomacon. So that was a great feeling.”

Aleah said that numerous individuals and organizations deserve gratitude for aiding the duo in the journey toward the tank. Notably, Innovation Works Baltimore and its funding arm, Ignite Capital, were their initial investors. Baltimore Community Lending was the second one. Mentors like entrepreneur and Latimer Ventures Managing Director Luke Cooper also provided the Montagues valuable guidance.

“He’s in the tech space, but we came across him while we were at the Fells Point Farmers Market and he was really instrumental. He saw potential in our business,” said Aleah. “[It] was just taking walks … Just picking his brain, you know, just bouncing [ideas] off of him.”

In a post on LinkedIn, Cooper described the couple’s journey into the tank as a “Real Baltimore Mud to Magic story.”

Being in the tank can prove challenging for some and successful for others. Aleah couldn’t confirm whether the celebrity investor group — including Mark Cuban, Lori Greiner, Kevin O’Leary, Daymond John and Daniel Lubetzky, known as the sharks, decided to invest in Shroomacon. They have engaged in competitive bidding over mushroom products in the past, though.

Aleah explained that she and Marvin were sworn to secrecy after the show taped last summer in LA. She urged everyone in Baltimore and beyond to tune in to “Shark Tank.”

“Right now it’s all a blur,” she said. “You know, it’s a good blur, but it’s definitely a blur.”