Immunity. It's the bedrock of our ability to fight infection, which probably explains why it's become one of the most searched terms on Google during this pandemic. But what do mushrooms have to do with it? Aren't they best roasted with herbs, or scarfed down during an ill-advised college-aged "experimental" phase? Well, yes, sure, but turns out they can do a lot more than just fill your belly and make you see pink fluffy unicorns dancing on rainbows; "functional" mushrooms give your immune system super powers.
Functional mushrooms contain high levels of beta glucans, which are scientifically linked to immunity. In fact, mushrooms are among the most heavily researched superfoods and have been used in immunotherapy for centuries. Over 40% of pharmaceuticals are derived from mushrooms, including Penicillin.
To be sure this is not exactly news; folks in the wellness space have already seen the science and acted on it; notably the team at Four Sigmatic. But there's a new mushroom drink on the market—Earth & Star brings the immune-boosting benefits of functional mushrooms to your daily routine in the form of delicious, ready-to-drink (no mixing here) organic, oat milk-based canned lattes. The lattes come in three flavors, each targeted to a different health benefit:
Coffee Latte with Lion's Mane and Chaga mushrooms, known to boost cognitive function
Matcha Latte with Turkey Tail and Shiitake mushrooms, known for powerful anti-viral properties
Cacao Latte with Reishi mushrooms to promote calm and healthy sleep
Earth & Star's lattes are different than the rest of the mushroom marketplace in a few key ways. First, they come from Zoe Sakoutis and Erica Huss, entrepreneurs who know a bit about what’s weird in wellness. The women founded BluePrint Cleanse, the brand that convinced consumers to swear off solid food for three days in favor of drinking green juice. While they launched in the midst of the 2008 mortgage crisis, and found that while people were facing tremendous uncertainty in their financial futures, they were doubling down on investing in their health. The company scaled and was acquired by Hain Celestial four years later.
Zoe (left) & Erica (right) are known for putting the weird in wellness.
Their product is also the first ready-to-drink functional mushroom beverage out there; you won't need to bring any extra steps to your daily routine. For any mushroom haters out there, it's worth mentioning that these lattes do NOT taste like mushrooms. They just taste good—like the organic ingredients they're crafted from—oat milk, coffee, matcha and cacao.
Not to get too nitty gritty, but aside from taste and convenience, Earth & Star also sets itself apart from the other fungi folks by packing 1000 mg of functional mushroom extract into every serving; other products deliver 500 mg per serving, tops. “It’s a therapeutic dose of functional mushrooms,” said Sakoutis. They also use the “fruiting body” of the mushroom (not the roots) where the bulk of those powerful immune boosting beta glucans are stored.
Earth & Star could not be here at a more opportune time. There’s no one on earth (well, maybe other than in the folks in the Oval Office who favor bleach) who would shun a science-backed, immune-boosting beverage. And it seems businesses are also paying attention; according to market-intelligence firm Mordor Intelligence, the nearly $6 billion functional mushroom market is projected to grow 6.4% annually through 2024.
So. What are you waiting for? Drink up.
Earth & Star Lattes are available online at www.earthandstar.com. The lattes retail for $4.99 for each 8oz can and the chocolate is $50 for a box of ten. Subscriptions will be available. The company can be found on social at @earthandstarco.