Meet Francine, The Farm Mom Building an App To Challenge Big Food - Francine | #117

Francine is a farmer, mom of four, and co-founder of the Mulberry Tree App - a farm-to-fork platform that lets consumers buy ingredients directly from local farms, with no listing fees, no middleman, and no data selling. She and her husband built it from scratch, self-funded, while navigating mold illness, alpha-gal syndrome in their family, and a bunch of scammers! They launched the app in January 2025.We talk through how the app works, why convenience is the real barrier between consumers and local farms, and what it actually takes to build something like this without outside funding or corporate backing. Enjoy :)What we talk about:- How the Mulberry Tree App works - farm-to-fork recipes, local farmer discovery, 24/7 farmers market- Why they don't charge farmers listing or marketing fees- Facebook censorship of farm products during COVID and why it pushed them to build their own platform- The grassroots marketing approach: vendor events, merchandise, one-on-one outreach- Alpha-gal syndrome - what it is, how misinformation is hurting people, and why the app has 300+ alpha-gal-safe recipes- Mold illness, raising four kids on a farm, and the tribulations behind building the business- The case for food sovereignty and why 77 farms closing per day is a national problemTimestamps:0:00 — Intro1:10 — What is the Mulberry Tree App?6:45 — How it handles the convenience problem for consumers12:00 — The origin story - a dream, a husband, and no coding experience18:30 — Facebook censorship and why decentralization matters26:00 — Grassroots marketing: vendor events, shirts, 400 downloads in two weeks32:00 — Consumer patterns and what makes the app experience different39:00 — The town square, courses, live animal listings, and cottage industry sellers47:00 — Growing up on farms, moving to Arkansas, raising kids outside the system54:00 — Mold illness, alpha-gal, and the year their son was on steroids1:04:00 — Why most businesses fail and why they didn't1:09:00 — Final thoughts: know your farmer, know your foodHow to Support Francine:Download the app via their website Connect with her via X