Hannah Mendoza

I also started drinking coffee when I was there. I've always had a more anxious disposition and I actually think it can be a superpower when used correctly. But I started drinking coffee to kind of deal with the additional load of having a proper job and it made me feel awful.

I also started drinking coffee when I was there. I've always had a more anxious disposition and I actually think it can be a superpower when used correctly. But I started drinking coffee to kind of deal with the additional load of having a proper job and it made me feel awful.

It activated my anxiety and every day was this kind of coin toss, whether I felt like a superhuman or I was questioning everything in my life. And I hated the variability. And that's where I started experimenting with alternatives. So matcha, teas, I'd make these ridiculous 10 ingredient potions with herbs and superfoods and mushrooms that I was learning about at this job.

It activated my anxiety and every day was this kind of coin toss, whether I felt like a superhuman or I was questioning everything in my life. And I hated the variability. And that's where I started experimenting with alternatives. So matcha, teas, I'd make these ridiculous 10 ingredient potions with herbs and superfoods and mushrooms that I was learning about at this job.

And at the same time, Raj, who's my now co-founder, was going through a really hard time after he lost his mom unexpectedly to cancer. And that obviously had a huge impact on everything in his life. And I started making him these reishi cappuccinos as a coffee alternative, which is this mushroom that's really calming for the nervous system.

And at the same time, Raj, who's my now co-founder, was going through a really hard time after he lost his mom unexpectedly to cancer. And that obviously had a huge impact on everything in his life. And I started making him these reishi cappuccinos as a coffee alternative, which is this mushroom that's really calming for the nervous system.

And science backs it up. And that for me was important because I'm realizing I'm coming in with a certain relationship to these ingredients, but most people are not.

And science backs it up. And that for me was important because I'm realizing I'm coming in with a certain relationship to these ingredients, but most people are not.

And to be able to say to someone, you know, this is our lived experience that these ingredients are very powerful, but also please look at the study where we're showing there's a, you know, 35% drop in serum cortisol levels in someone's blood after taking ashwagandha. That's like... That's incredible. There's pharmaceuticals that can't do that.

And to be able to say to someone, you know, this is our lived experience that these ingredients are very powerful, but also please look at the study where we're showing there's a, you know, 35% drop in serum cortisol levels in someone's blood after taking ashwagandha. That's like... That's incredible. There's pharmaceuticals that can't do that.

So I started also diving into that and feeling like, yeah, we are on the brink of something here becoming more in the cultural zeitgeist. And I want to be part of disseminating that because it feels like a perfect antidote to the increasingly high stress world that we're in.

So I started also diving into that and feeling like, yeah, we are on the brink of something here becoming more in the cultural zeitgeist. And I want to be part of disseminating that because it feels like a perfect antidote to the increasingly high stress world that we're in.

I mean, what we did with that was we designed this crazy coffee shop menu where we would take these traditional coffee shop drinks, but we would infuse them with all these different beneficial ingredients. And sell them where? Well, at the time, you know, we didn't have a budget to open a coffee shop. Yeah. So we hand welded this bar, put it in the back of a van and drove all around the country.

I mean, what we did with that was we designed this crazy coffee shop menu where we would take these traditional coffee shop drinks, but we would infuse them with all these different beneficial ingredients. And sell them where? Well, at the time, you know, we didn't have a budget to open a coffee shop. Yeah. So we hand welded this bar, put it in the back of a van and drove all around the country.

We even drove down to Guatemala as we went to different countries. And... just popped up and would serve these crazy drinks to people who, like you said, asked us, why are you putting mushrooms in my coffee? And people fell in love with the way the drinks made them feel. And they wanted to make them at home.

We even drove down to Guatemala as we went to different countries. And... just popped up and would serve these crazy drinks to people who, like you said, asked us, why are you putting mushrooms in my coffee? And people fell in love with the way the drinks made them feel. And they wanted to make them at home.

which was basically impossible unless you had an Erewhon-style pantry and, you know, an hour of free time each morning, which, who has that? And that was when we realized, okay, people really want this, and this is a completely unrealistic ritual. So Rod challenged me, if you can make the drinks we're serving in this bar that people are loving,

which was basically impossible unless you had an Erewhon-style pantry and, you know, an hour of free time each morning, which, who has that? And that was when we realized, okay, people really want this, and this is a completely unrealistic ritual. So Rod challenged me, if you can make the drinks we're serving in this bar that people are loving,

into a powder format, an instant drink, which is the least sexy product, most antiquated product of all time, with the same quality as a bar. Let's put this out there in the world. Let's build something.

into a powder format, an instant drink, which is the least sexy product, most antiquated product of all time, with the same quality as a bar. Let's put this out there in the world. Let's build something.