Upraising, the coffee with functional mushrooms arrives

Coffee is the second most consumed beverage in the world, after water. It is estimated that approximately 3 billion cups of coffee are consumed daily on the planet. Some drink it to wake up thanks to the effects of caffeine, but millions of people also enjoy it simply for pleasure or its taste. In addition to containing caffeine and activating the mind, coffee is rich in antioxidants and minerals like magnesium, and multiple studies consider it beneficial for preventing or reducing the risk of certain diseases.

Now, the Barcelona startup Upraising Effects has set out to multiply the number of reasons why it is worth drinking a good cup of coffee by increasing its properties with the help of functional mushrooms (such as Reishi and Lion's Mane) and other plants with nootropic and adaptogenic effects. "These ingredients are the new trend in the world of wellness due to their powerful natural properties. Instead of creating a new functional drink that will be difficult to incorporate into our diet, what we do is add these properties to coffee, which is a drink that is already part of our daily routine," says Guy Morley, one of the two co-founders of Upraising.

Morley is a British lawyer who advised artists, singers, and record labels, until, in love with Barcelona, he decided to settle in the city to start a business. In 2015, he launched the natural cold tea brand Kailani, which eventually fell victim to the pandemic and closed in early 2021. Now, he is back with Upraising, a company he founded with Guillaume Lafond, a French entrepreneur also based in Barcelona and an expert in digital marketing. In 2019, Lafond sold the digital advertising company Powerspace, which he had founded in 2008, to Welcoming Group.

After exploring and detecting different market trends internationally, Morley and Lafond have immersed themselves in the world of functional mushrooms over the last year, convinced that there is a clear business opportunity by associating their properties with a daily habit like drinking coffee. "I have always been interested in the world of nutritional supplements and the power of plants. Living in Barcelona, I have also witnessed the boom that specialty coffee has experienced in the city. We saw that in Europe there wasn't a project that combined both worlds, and in August, we launched and incorporated Upraising," explains Morley.

The company has developed three varieties of functional coffee enriched with mushroom extract that pursue three purposes: increasing concentration, productivity, and memory (Upraising Flow State); boosting immunity and longevity (Upraising Live Well); and another to improve mood and calm worries (Upraising Bright Mood). This coffee is sold already ground and mixed with these extra ingredients in 300-gram packages, at a price of 22 euros per unit. The ideal way to prepare it is in filter coffee makers, french press, Chemex (drip), or moka type.

According to Morley, Upraising is the first company to launch this market category in Europe and does so as a digital native brand focused on online sales, although the product, which has been available since mid-October, will also be sold in selected physical stores. A few days ago, the first consumers were able to taste Upraising coffee at the All Those Food Market gastronomic fair held in Barcelona. Now, in addition to its online store, Upraising can be purchased at a pop-up store in London, Raye, recently opened on Regent Street. In the Catalan capital, it will be present at Funky Bakers and Frizzant, an innovative store and yoga studio located on Gran Via.

Upraising is made with organic Arabica coffee from a cooperative in Colombia certified with the Fair Trade seal. The coffee is imported green to Barcelona and the roasting and packaging process is subcontracted to a Catalan coffee company, which is also responsible for mixing the coffee (96%) with the concentrated powdered mushroom extract from a supplier in Finland.

The startup works with four types of mushrooms that have adaptogenic properties (which help restore balance and reduce stress) or nootropic properties (cognitive system enhancers): Lion's Mane, Reishi, Chaga, and Maitake. In addition, it uses plant extracts such as Bacopa, Griffonia, Schisandra, and L-theanine, a natural amino acid found in the green tea plant. Thus, for example, to prepare the mind-activating coffee Flow State, Lion's Mane is combined with Bacopa and L-theanine; while for the mood-balancing coffee Bright Mood, Reishi mushroom, L-theanine, and the natural serotonin precursor amino acid 5-HTP, obtained from Griffonia, are used.

"Adding these plants and these functional mushrooms, what we do is improve the benefits of coffee and, in turn, minimize its negative effects," highlights Morley, who assures that all these substances are one hundred percent natural, approved by the European Union and backed by "many scientific studies."

Morley and Lafond's goal is to raise a first round of financing at the beginning of 2023, which they will use to accelerate Upraising's growth after the first few months of operation. "So far, the receptivity we are having is very good, orders are increasing daily," he assures. Later, Upraising will study the launch of other products, such as matcha tea with functional mushrooms, cocoa, or decaffeinated coffee.

The two entrepreneurs explain that they have created Upraising in Barcelona not only because it is the city they have chosen to live in, but also because of "its creative aspect and openness to new trends, its leadership in specialty coffee, and its emerging position as a hub for technology and e-commerce companies with a national and international logistics infrastructure."