Harnessing the Power of Functional Mushrooms with Alice Mushrooms

Are you ready to embark on a journey into the enchanting world of functional mushrooms? Join us as we dive into the story of Alice Mushrooms, a pioneering brand that’s breaking barriers and transforming perceptions about these potent fungi. From creating delicious functional mushroom chocolates to advocating for the legalization of psychedelics, Alice Mushrooms is at the forefront of the mushroom movement. 

In this feature, we’ll explore how Alice Mushrooms is redefining the intersection of food and pharmaceuticals, and why their products might just be the key to unlocking a world of wellness benefits. 

The Birth of Alice Mushrooms

Charlotte Cruze and her business partner, Lindsay Goodstein, embarked on a journey to make functional mushrooms delicious, enjoyable, and accessible. Their goal was to remove the stigma surrounding mushrooms and introduce them to people in a tasty, easy to use kind of way. This led to the creation of Alice Mushrooms, a brand that offers two types of functional mushroom chocolates: Nightcap for sleep and Brainstorm for focus and energy.

“Our goal at Alice, at its core, is to make functional mushrooms delicious, enjoyable, and accessible. We want to bring functional mushrooms to people in a way that feels familiar and exciting.” – Charlotte Cruze

The Journey to Creating Functional Mushroom Chocolates

Functional mushrooms have been gaining popularity for their potential health benefits. However, Cruze noticed that many people struggle with incorporating these mushrooms into their daily routine due to their taste and the lack of immediate effects. Powders tend to be chalky or cumbersome to take on the go, and capsules are, well – kind of boring. Not to mention, it can take a while to feel the effects of functional mushrooms, as the benefits stack with time. This delay can make people feel like they’re not working. 

To address these issues, Alice Mushrooms created their chocolates with beneficial ingredients that provide an instant desired effect, encouraging users to continue their daily intake and reap the long-term benefits of functional mushrooms.

“We formulated the mushrooms alongside fast-acting nootropics and herbal supplements. That gives you an instant feeling of sleepiness or focus, so you get that instant gratification and then you’re motivated to keep coming back every day and get those long-term benefits….The journey to creating these unique chocolates involved a team of biochemists, doctors, professional formulators, and chocolatiers. It was a long process, all in, probably about two years before we were on the market.”

Alice Mushrooms stands at a unique crossroads where food meets pharmaceuticals. This innovative approach is a result of the diverse backgrounds of its founders. Cruze, with her experience in the food industry, and Goodstein, with her background in pharmaceuticals, have combined their expertise to create a product that truly stands out in the market.

Alice Mushrooms offers two types of functional mushroom chocolates, geared at a morning and evening routine. These chocolates are not just a tasty treat, but they also serve a functional purpose. 

The Nightcap chocolate is designed to help users unwind and achieve a restful night’s sleep. On the other hand, the Brainstorm chocolate is formulated to enhance focus and energy, making it a perfect pick-me-up for those busy days.

Alice Mushrooms Unique Process

Instead of grinding up dried mushrooms and melting them into a chocolate bar, Alice Mushrooms opts for extraction. This allows them to use the fruiting bodies of the mushrooms for a more pure and potent effect. At the core of any product from Alice Mushrooms lies the extraction process where the robust cell walls of these beneficial fungi are methodically broken down to unleash a nutrient-dense core. Not only are these nutrients made more bioavailable through this process, but their inherent potency is also significantly heightened.

To understand the extract ratio, consider it a process of concentration. A ten-to-one ratio, for example, implies that the benefits of a thousand milligrams of nutrients can be obtained from just a hundred milligrams of the potent, condensed extract. Yet, this extraction process doesn’t come without its unique challenges. For extraction, mushrooms must first be thoroughly dried, opening the door to unethical practices by some industry players.

Due to the time and cost pressures inherent in the industry, many producers resort to using dextrin, a type of starch powder, to accelerate the drying process. Regrettably, this additive dilutes the mushrooms, undermining their potency. Even more alarming is the practice by some manufacturers of adding further starch powder during extraction. Consequently, many functional mushroom products on today’s market contain an alarmingly high level of starch, which contradicts the purity one might expect.

Alice Mushrooms, however, found a solution to these pervasive problems through a process steeped in trial and error. They discovered a game-changing sourcing partner who brought a revolutionary approach to the mushroom extraction process. Based in the US, this partner oversees a global network of farms, each one dedicated to cultivating and extracting mushrooms using a patented process.

What sets this process apart is the complete elimination of starch at any stage. All mushrooms are cultivated on a substrate native to their species, maintaining the integrity of their natural properties. And, adhering to the rigorous organic standards of the USDA and prioritizes only the fruiting bodies of the fungi. “The extraction process is incredibly pure. Everything’s grown by USDA organic standards, using only fruiting bodies. It’s been a real match made in heaven with them,” said Cruze.

How Alice Mushrooms Supports the Community

Alice Mushrooms is not just about creating delicious, functional mushroom chocolates. The brand is deeply committed to making a positive impact on the community, particularly in the realm of mental health and wellness. They believe in the potential of psilocybin mushrooms to help heal trauma, manage everyday stresses, and bring people joy. To this end, Alice Mushrooms donates a portion of its profits to The Hope Project and is a founding member of the Microdosing Collective, two nonprofits advocating for access to psychedelic support and research.

The Hope Project is a non-profit organization that was born out of one woman’s healing journey with psychedelic therapy. Allison Wilson, the founder of The Hope Project, started her journey with psychedelic healing two years ago and has since made it her purpose to support spouses, Veteran Women, and Gold Star wives with connections to these modalities, coaching, and scholarships.

They offer a range of programs, including a one-month program for spouses that includes one-to-one coaching and community calls. For spouses, Veteran Women, or Gold Star Wives, there is a four-month program with connections to retreats, one-to-one coaching, and community support. The Hope Project also offers yearly scholarships that support women in mission-aligned certificates and aims to employ women to share their passions for coaching and more.

Alice Mushrooms’ partnership with The Hope Project is a testament to their commitment to supporting mental health and wellness. The Hope Project has supported 34 women to date and continues to work daily, partnering with numerous non-profits in the space to support as many women as possible.

Through their products and their community support, Alice Mushrooms is making a real difference in the world of functional and psychedelic mushrooms. Their commitment to supporting mental health, wellness, and the legalization of psychedelics is a testament to their mission and values as a brand.

Future Plans for Alice Mushrooms

Alice Mushrooms is not stopping at two types of chocolates. They are currently developing new products that will touch on other experiences that functional mushrooms can offer. In the long term, they aim to be the first recreational chocolate on the market once psychedelics are legalized.
Alice Mushrooms is a brand that is truly passionate about functional mushrooms and their potential benefits. By creating delicious and accessible functional mushroom chocolates, they are not only introducing more people to the world of functional mushrooms but also helping to break the stigma surrounding them. Shop their collection online and follow them on Instagram to stay up to date on their evolution.

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