Odd Balls: Putting the Fun in Fungi

After moving to Utah from Minnesota in 2010 to cross-country ski and be closer to the mountains, Jon Carter got tired of all the so-called “healthy energy bars” out there. He wasn’t familiar with their long list of ingredients, so he set off on a mission to find something more unique.

“I listened to a podcast about functional mushrooms and then I just dove into research for myself,” he says. “I knew there had to be a good one for energy.” Carter ordered some Cordyceps supplements and began to test them out on himself, giving up caffeine in his life. “I could already feel the difference only two weeks in and I learned that it helps bring your body’s natural energy levels into balance — basically just giving you that level of balanced energy throughout the day,” he says.

In 2021, after testing different ways to work with the mushrooms, Carter was diagnosed with stage three testicular cancer. He learned that the next step for him would be chemotherapy, but he continued to take the mushrooms during his treatments.

“If I can help just one other person not put off [going to the doctor] as long as I did, then I’ll think we’ve been successful.”

“I ended up seeing that other testicular cancer patients who were in a phase three clinical trial were using Cordyceps mushrooms as an infusion, and it was having such good success [that] they were moving into the next phase of the trial,” he says. “I was about to do this thing with Cordyceps anyway, and then I got diagnosed, and now [I thought] Cordyceps might actually treat my disease.”

He promised himself that when he got through his treatments, he would continue forward with the research and use it to introduce people to mushrooms in a fun way. Thus, Odd Balls: A Funguy Blend was born. “I waited too long to do something about my testicular cancer. Something was going on, and I didn’t act on it … So if I could do something to inform people and help them, I wanted to do it,” he says.

“I think the name kind of brings some humor into something serious.”

Carter says the name “Odd Balls” came from his sister as a way to help people stay informed and get checked out to stay healthy. “It’s real simple: if you’ve got an odd ball, bump or lump, [call] it odd today, meaning if it’s odd to you, get it checked.” After figuring out the name and the shape of the product, it was full steam ahead for Carter to start selling to family and friends and trying to get the word out any way he could.

“I think the name kind of brings some humor into something serious. Sadly, cancer in young adults is rising … You feel good, or you think you’re good — or it’s scary — but it’s easy to put something off, and if I can help just one other person not put off [going to the doctor] as long as I did, then I’ll think we’ve been successful,” Carter says.

Carter works closely with nonprofits such as Survivor Wellness here in Salt Lake City, donating products to them to share his Odd Balls with other cancer patients to help with their energy levels while they are going through treatments.

“Survivor Wellness has these beautiful houses in the Avenues that are kind of like sanctuaries, where cancer patients can go and connect with other people going through the same thing,” he says. “I like to donate to them so that the patients can have snacks that aren’t pumped full of additives that taste good — and would hopefully help empower them physically as well.

The product, with two different flavor options of lemon and cherry, is made with a blend of mushrooms and aims to provide balanced energy and mental clarity using Cordyceps and Lion’s mane extracts. They are gluten-free and vegan and are available in local shops, including The Neighborhood Hive and Skimo Co, and at oddballsfunguy.com.

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