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Adaptogenic Mushrooms and the Space Tea Mushroom
Adaptogenic mushrooms are having a moment, with consumers taking full advantage of the many health benefits these fungi can provide in everything from gummi candies and tea to supplements and cosmetics.
Mushroom-infused drinks have long been an accessible wellness solution. Now available at over 390 Sprouts Farmers Market locations worldwide is Space Tea, the world’s first mushroom iced tea and lemonade beverage.
Adaptogenic Mushrooms
Since time immemorial, people have looked to mushrooms as an organic way to promote health and wellbeing. Today, functional fungi such as mushrooms are enjoying unprecedented popularity due to their ability to support immunity and counteract stressors; specifically they’ve been found to reduce anxiety levels, boost energy levels, increase cognitive function, reduce depression symptoms, boost overall performance levels and even enhance memory retention. Space Tea provides adaptogens combined with other medicinal herbs and spices in convenient beverage form for greater health benefits.
Space Tea recently participated in Natural Products Expo West 2023 to showcase its selection of adaptogenic iced teas and lemonades. These vegan, gluten-free, kosher beverages feature refreshing flavors such as Golden Mango, Summer Watermelons, Lemon Zeros Hibiscus Zeros Matcha Zeros with Reishi Mushroom, Lion’s Mane Mushrooms Cordyceps Mushrooms as well as medicinal herbs like Turmeric Ginger Cinnamon Licorice Root Black Pepper for optimal wellness.
Space Tea stands apart from other supplements by employing the whole mushroom (including mycelia and fruiting bodies) instead of just its extract. According to Space Tea’s beliefs, using whole mushrooms instead of extracts creates a more potency and effective formula than mycelium alone, typically used by other supplements. Reishi mushrooms in particular have been thought to help alleviate stress, fatigue and depression while Chaga mushrooms contain mycelia that may reduce cancer cells while both contain Lucigenin compounds which have been shown to reduce tumor growth.
The chaga mushroom contains a protein known as blazein that may reduce inflammation and oxygen in cancerous cells. Shiitake mushrooms have also been proven to boost immunity, slow aging and lower blood pressure – all features important to overall cardiovascular wellbeing.
Joseph, as an herbalist, knew of the healing powers of mushrooms. After suffering from severe adrenal gland-related anxiety and chronic fatigue, she decided to explore holistic remedies like reishi, lion’s mane and chaga which she began taking daily and claims significantly decreased her anxiety and fatigue levels.
Natural Products Expo West 2023
Natural products trade shows provide an ideal venue for debuting new products. Not only can these events draw in a broad audience, but these shows also allow companies to gather feedback and validate the product for further development and sales increases. If the new product proves itself as successful at one natural products trade show, its debut can then continue at other natural products events.
The Natural Products Expo West 2023 took place in Anaheim, California and featured exhibitors from all around the globe. As the leading natural and organic products industry trade show in North America, it attracts over 100,000 attendees and 3,500 exhibiting companies; additionally it featured educational sessions.
One of the highlights of Expo West 2016 was its strong emphasis on environmental sustainability and social responsibility. Indeed, an entire day was dedicated to climate action with speakers and events held throughout the day hosted by Climate Collaborative as part of their series of workshops and panels to educate attendees on its effects.
At this year’s tradeshow, one highlight was the proliferation of functional beverages. Many brands introduced new beverages designed to deliver hydration, energy and relaxation benefits. For instance, Hiyo offers sparkling seltzer that contains ashwagandha, L-theanine, lion’s mane and cordyceps; Rambler offers caffeinated drinks using yaupon (a North American plant) as an ingredient that contains caffeine.
Functional teas featuring mushrooms are growing increasingly popular, and are predicted to experience rapid market expansion as their purported immune-enhancing and brain health properties drive sales growth. According to Grand View Research, Grand View anticipates this market will reach $208 billion by 2027.
In addition to its traditional offerings, The Vitamin Shoppe is now offering Space Tea teas brewed with adaptogenic mushrooms for stress relief, improved memory retention and concentration enhancement. They’re available at 390 Sprouts Farmers Market locations as well as The Vitamin Shoppe online.
Trade shows are an ideal way to stay abreast of the latest developments in any industry, while their creativity often inspires entrepreneurs with innovative ideas for their own businesses. An example could include an innovative scent or flavor idea presented at an expo and using feedback received at this event to further refine it.
The Vitamin Shoppe
SECAUCUS, New Jersey–Abra Health recently secured a sublease agreement covering nearly 25,000 square feet in Secaucus to backfill part of The Vitamin Shoppe’s corporate headquarters and centralize billing operations and set up a call center. Newmark Senior Managing Director Jeff Kolodkin and Associate Director Andrew Kirshenbaum represented Abra Health during this transaction.
The Vitamin Shoppe, a retailer and wellness lifestyle brand specializing in nutritional products, operates over 700 company-operated retail stores under its Vitamin Shoppe and Super Supplements banners, as well as an online store, with an expansive selection of top-quality vitamins, supplements, herbs, and natural products available for sale.
Follett Higher Education Group, North America’s largest campus store operator, has chosen The Vitamin Shoppe as their wellness partner to bring its wellness solutions into select college stores. This alliance gives The Vitamin Shoppe an opportunity to reach out to a younger demographic: students looking for supplements that support healthy habits and lifestyle practices as they pursue academic achievement.
Early this year, The Vitamin Shoppe unveiled Whole Health Rx, a telehealth service connecting customers to licensed medical providers and providing access to prescription medication for weight loss and other health needs. Operated by Tampa health care technology provider WellSync, this virtual experience begins with an online questionnaire about your medical history and goals before culminating with a live video interview if desired. If approved by The Vitamin Shoppe’s pharmacy partners with delivery via mail with no insurance required.
In addition to offering telehealth, The Vitamin Shoppe continues to work toward providing exceptional in-store experiences for their customers. Partnering with RetailNext, they have implemented traffic counting and advanced heat mapping technology into stores so they can better understand how shoppers interact with product displays, marketing campaigns, promotions and discounts.
The Vitamin Shoppe also uses Rokt’s monetization solution to display premium offers on their checkout page, helping monetize existing site traffic while making sure each offer is tailored specifically for each customer. Within eight months of implementing Rokt, The Vitamin Shoppe experienced an 11% increase in add-to-cart rates on category pages and 2% in search RPV growth.
Sprouts Farmers Market
Sprouts Farmers Market is one of the country’s premier natural and organic food retailers, with perishable products like fresh produce, meat alternatives, seafood, deli products, bakery items, floral arrangements, dairy alternatives and non-dairy alternatives among its range of perishable goods. In addition, non-perishable grocery items, beverages, vitamins & supplements bulk foods beer wine as well as health & beauty items can also be purchased here. Founded in 1943 and headquartered out of Phoenix Arizona.
The Sprouts app is designed to make shopping faster, simpler and more convenient. Create a custom shopping list and utilize weekly ad specials, digital coupons and product lookup features; track spending with our rewards program or track your spending with product lookup features – saving both time and effort in the process!
Customers can use the app to develop their own recipes. In addition, tips are provided on how to accommodate specific dietary preferences like gluten-free or plant-based eating plans. Furthermore, nutritional data for every item found within Sprouts stores allows customers to be certain they’re getting all of their required vitamins and minerals.
Our Grocery Stores & Supermarkets test revealed that Sprouts Farmers Market offers healthy groceries at competitive prices, including organic produce, grass-fed beef, and ethically raised meats sourced from ethical farms. It also offers salads, soups, and smoothies made on-site; however it could do more to distinguish itself from competitors’ offerings.
While Sprouts has earned itself an excellent reputation in customer service, its ratings fell slightly in our latest Customer Service Report. Of its competitors, it lagged behind Whole Foods and The Kraft Heinz Company; with an 8 net promoter score indicating most customers would recommend the brand.
Functional mushroom-infused drinks such as Space Tea are becoming increasingly popular within the beverage industry. Packed with adaptogenic mushrooms for stress relief and enhanced immune system health benefits, as well as increasing focus and mood improvement and cognitive enhancement, these products come in various flavors to meet consumer demand. This trend requires companies to invest heavily in innovation and research in order to meet demand from their target consumers.