Mission

Kudzu Culture connects people with kudzu to grow a regenerative kudzu economy in the Southeastern United States.

Vision

We envision a world where a widespread culture of kudzu use and reverence balances kudzu in native ecosystems of the Southeast while providing major material and economic benefits for communities amidst a rapidly changing world.

Our work

• Public education around home and community scale kudzu processing for food, medicine, fiber, and fodder
• Economic feasibility studies and R&D for kudzu-based products
• Gathering and preserving traditional kudzu knowledge from southeast Asia and Japan and translating it into social and economic context of southeast U.S.
• Developing a cooperative network and/or trade association of kudzu harvesters, processors and distributors
• Consumer education and market creation for kudzu products
• Developing industry standards for harvest, processing, storage and use of kudzu products
• Creating culture with kudzu with celebratory events and art related to kudzu
• Weaving a coherent story of kudzu, the history of human relating with kudzu, and how a mutualistic and balanced new kudzu culture can emerge in the southeast U.S.
• Events, gatherings and communication platforms to convene and connect people around kudzu culture

We see kudzu culture (aka ‘pueraculture’) as the human half of the equation that keeps this plant in dynamic equilibrium in our southern ecosystems. In working with and learning from the great gifts kudzu has to offer, we hope to weave a way of being with this – and all the creatures with which we cohabitate – that places us not in opposition to our living landscapes, but at home.

We are a 501c3 non-profit organization. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation!

Our Team

Lauren “LB” Bacchus // Co-founder and Executive Director

LB is an experimental fiber artist whose sculptural work is made from abundant, often invasive, plant material. LB is passionate about learning from traditional craft, and sharing research and processes with others. She has taught eco-art workshops for children and adults at a variety of schools in Western North Carolina including UNCA, Roots and Wings, Asheville Art Museum, Local Cloth, Organic Growers School, and Penland Kids Camp.

As Executive Director of Kudzu Culture, LB aims to inspire others to learn from human+plant relationships around the world. She believes that with reverence, humility, and understanding we can collaborate with abundant species to address current challenges of the so-called Anthropocene.

Zev Friedman // Co-founder and Board Member

Zev lives and works as a milpa farmer, kudzu harvester, Permaculture educator and bio-cultural seed keeper based in the Hut Hamlet Housing Co-op at Earthaven Ecovillage outside of Asheville, NC. After growing up in a patch of kudzu, Zev earned a B.S. in Human Ecology at UNC Asheville in 2004, started his own businesses after PDC’s and apprenticeships with Patricia Allison and Chuck Marsh, and now seeks to grow climate resilient community and multi-generational village culture through Kudzu Culture, through his consulting work and land projects, and most recently with Co-operate WNC, a regional scale mutual aid initiative.

Justin Holt // Co-founder and Board Member

Justin has worked in ecological agriculture, permaculture design, and environmental education since 2011. He is a co-founder of the Nutty Buddy Collective and the Asheville Nuttery, guides foraging tours with No Taste Like Home, and works as a consultant for people and communities engaged in agroforestry.

Nica Rabinowitz // Board Member, Fiber Working Group Chair