An Adaptogenic Mushroom Coffee Brand From Boulder Wins This Year's Pitch Slam Competition

Naturally Boulder, a 501(c)(6) nonprofit founded in 2005 to promote natural and organic businesses, recently held its eighteenth annual Pitch Slam. Five companies competed in the Shark Tank-esque event by presenting their sales pitch for a panel of judges, and first prize went to Peak State Coffee, a Boulder-based business that infuses coffee with adaptogenic mushrooms.

Founded in 2020, Peak State sources fair trade, sustainably grown coffee and uses a patent-pending process to infuse whole beans with functional mushrooms like reishi, lion's mane, chaga and cordyceps.

Co-founder and CEO Danny Walsh started Peak State to make the health benefits of mushrooms more accessible. As a coffee lover, he found that while many mushroom coffees offered on the market delivered health benefits, they were also chalky and fell short when it came to flavor. “We wanted to make a coffee that had health benefits for the coffee aficionado," says Walsh. "Of all the coffees that have tried to do a similar thing, we’ve tried to solve the taste compromise."

Peak State's coffee comes in whole-bean form, so users can grind their own and prepare it via their preferred method, whether that be an automatic drip, pour over or French press — something that sets it apart from other companies offering mushroom coffee. It's also added instant coffee in tea bag form, and the company can grind coffee to order.
"You never forget your morning coffee — it’s a supplement built into a ritual," says Walsh.

The science backing the benefits of medicinal mushrooms is new and ongoing; most evidence indicates that the beta glucans in functional mushrooms support your immune system and that adaptogens help the body deal with the effects of stress in a more resilient way. Research also shows that lion's mane helps support cognitive health.

"If there’s one thing that all of these mushrooms can do, it's support immunity," notes Walsh. "Coffee already has antioxidant content, and the mushroom adds even more."

Mushrooms also promote gut health, and Peak State sources sustainable coffees that are naturally less acidic. "Benefits that I’ve felt is you can sort of drink coffee longer without getting totally super jittery; it has a soothing balance," Walsh explains. "Adaptogens give the feeling of calm, soothed, relaxed. The coffee is still coffee with caffeine; it's an even-keeled energy that I really like."

A former outdoor-climbing sales rep, Walsh was inspired by Patagonia's commitment to giving back. At Peak State, 1 percent of all sales are donated to environmental conservation efforts. "I wanted to jump in and see if I can make an impact in this industry and use business as a force for good," concludes Walsh.

Peak State has mainly reached customers through word of mouth, farmers' markets and trade shows, but now it plans to use part of its winnings to expand its marketing efforts. For now, you can purchase it through the website and on Amazon, but the goal is for Peak State to be sold soon at local grocers and, eventually, larger national grocers.