Jun 19, 20206 min read

Fungi Coffee | Four Sigmatic (Virtual Organic Week 2020)

I told you today would be something FUN … FUNGI that is! I am ALWAYS on shrooms with my favorite products at Four Sigmatic. Yesterday we talked about Freak Flag Organics and, today we're talking about SHROOMS! I have been loving this brand for a few years now and drink their coffee every single day. I am so honored to have Four Sigmatic be a part of my Virtual Organic Week! I have to start by saying that, YES, there are mushrooms in this coffee, but it's not the kind you'd thing. It's not portobello or shiitake. To be honest, I don't even like those kinds of mushrooms. These are adaptogenic mushrooms. They have superpowers and you can read more about that in another blog post all about Shrooms and their benefits.

Last year, around this time, I was in Washington D.C. with the Organic Trade Association as one of their influencers to "hit the hill" to lobby for the future of the Organic industry and, more specifically, the Farm Bill. Organic Week D.C. is an amazing week organized by the OTA. Organic businesses travel to D.C. to hit The Hill and meet with key members of Congress! When you support the ORGANIC industry, you are supporting organic brands and organic farmers that believe in the health and wellness of your family. Did you know that there are 700 chemicals that are prohibited in organic farming, yet 3000 chemicals are allowed in conventional farming as opposed to 67 that are allowed in organic. Organic producers, farmers and brands are committed to making healthy food safe and available to all Americans! (Here's a group photo from last year of some of the amazing influencers that went on this trip to HIT THE HILL with the OTA!) Read more about that trip HERE.

This year, things were moved to a virtual "Organic Week D.C." and I decided to do my own version of a Virtual Organic Week! I'm sharing some of my favorite USDA Organic brands with you each day on social media and here on KrystensKitchen.com, as well as sharing some Q + As which each brand. Follow along on Instagram, too!

Four Sigmatic has an incredible product line of all things adaptogens and mushrooms. They have protein powder, instant coffee, coffee beans, and even a beauty line, too! (It's really great, by the way!) I drink their instant coffee or coffee beans every single day and love that everything they have is USDA Organic. The founder, Tero, wrote a great book called Healing Mushrooms (which you can see here) and it's a great read, has yummy recipes and is a good book to reference.

Read why I put shrooms in my coffee HERE.

See all the benefits of Lions Mane, Chaga, Reishi & Cordyceps HERE.

Before we get to my Q+A with my shroomy friends, let me answer a few common questions that I get asked about my mushroom coffee.

You can use discount code KRYSTENSKITCHEN

for all your orders on FourSigmatic.com

Q: Is it a coffee alternative / Does it taste like coffee? It’s REAL coffee, friends, not an alternative. YES, it tastes like coffee (yum!) & they do contain added mushrooms & adaptogens!
Q: Does it make you hallucinate? Nope, never. These aren't that type of “shrooms” - not drugs & totally legal.
Q: What are the benefits? These mushrooms & adaptogens have been shown to support focus, concentration, relaxation, steady energy levels, immune system, & daily wellness.

If you are curious about Four Sigmatic, definitely give it try. My favorite products are the THINK! Lions Mane Coffee (beans and instant packets, too), the Hot Cacao with Reishi, the chaga elixir, and their new Protein Powder line which comes in unflavored, chocolate and also peanut butter!

So grateful to do this Q+A with the National Educator of Four Sigmatic, Danielle Ryan Broida!

Danielle Ryan Broida, RH (AHG), Four Sigmatic National Educator:

Registered Herbalist (AHG) and Holistic Nutritionist, Danielle has found her calling as an Instructor of Mycology at Colorado School of Clinical Herbalism, and National Educator at Four Sigmatic. Danielle brings her passion and expertise in herbal medicine, clinical practice, teaching, formulation, and her deep love for fungi to the Everyday Magic® of Four Sigmatic.

Why did Four Sigmatic start? Four Sigmatic was born out of the desire to share the benefits of the most nutrient dense ingredients with the world. Our founder, Tero, grew up foraging wild foods, herbs and mushrooms in the woods of Finland. As a thirteenth generation farmer, he had an integral connection with the land, but it wasn’t until later in life that he realized how unique it was to have fresh foraged herbs and mushrooms as part of your daily routine. He founded Four Sigmatic in 2012, a wellness company which brings the best of nature to fit your daily routine.

Why is creating organic products important to your company? As a wellness company, we aim to elevate daily routines with ingredients that are both scientifically proven and time-tested, meaning used by cultures around the world for thousands of years. I love to say that at Four Sigmatic, we aren’t doing anything new. Which usually turns some heads seeing that we are creating unique products like Mushroom Coffee. What I mean is that the functional ingredients in our products are as close to the form as they have been used for thousands of years in traditions across the planet. We are committed to using functional mushrooms, adaptogens, and superfoods that are always 100% USDA organic. While organic is important with all foods, it is particularly relevant with our products that focus on mushrooms. Why? Well, mushrooms are known as bioaccumulators, which means they can absorb a lot from the environment they are grown in. This means absorbing beneficial nutrients and minerals or potentially absorbing agrochemicals if they are non-organic. We are committed to using organic ingredients, including our highlighted mushrooms, because we believe that true superfoods must be the cleanest, purest ingredients out there.

What do you wish consumers understood about organic ingredients/sourcing organic ingredients? In order to reap the nutritional benefits from the foods we are eating, it’s so important to understand the source in which your ingredients are coming from. Many of the nutrients in our food come from the soil they are grown in. If the soil is depleted or void of certain nutrients, the food that grows from that soil will be too. Non-organic farming practices which use pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers alter the natural chemistry of the soil and directly affect the nutrient density of the foods grown and in turn, the foods we consume. Personally, as an Instructor of Mycology, my passion for the Fungi Kingdom encompasses both human health but also health of the planet. When we zoom out, these two fields are actually integrally connected. Fungi species have immense potential to support both human and planetary health. I believe that bringing functional mushrooms into daily lives is the beginning of mycological conversation about ways to incorporate fungi into our lives in many ways- soil health being part of this. Over 90% of plants on Earth depend on a symbiotic fungi partner to survive, called mycorrhizae. When plants have this fungal ally, the need for many common agrochemicals declines, leading to healthier soils, more nutrient dense foods, and thus healthier humans! Both personally as an educator, nutritionist and herbalist and through our Four Sigmatic brand, we have an aligned commitment to support the organic food industry for healthier soil, more nutrient dense foods, and in turn, a stronger, healthier population and planet.

Do you have any advice for other brands or consumers about why they should choose organic products and support the organic industry? People often tell me they are exhausted, stressed, and depleted in one way or another. We are all faced with inevitable stressors both external (like the news or traffic) and internal (lack of sleep) and our bodies need the tools to bring ourselves back into a state of balance. Consuming real, whole, organic foods in their natural forms (aka organic) is one of the simplest ways to ensure our bodies are fueled with the nutrition needed to keep us functioning optimally.

Is there anything else you’d like to share about your brand/products/upcoming product launches? So many of us need support with energy, stress, and overall well being. Instead of suggesting you start a totally new habit, which are often short-lived or forgotten, we focus on elevating the things you are already doing - like making a cup of coffee in the morning or a smoothie mid-day, with some of the world’s most researched and nutrient dense ingredients added in. Already drink coffee? Elevate to Mushroom Coffee. Already make a smoothie mid-day, step it up a notch with Plant-based Protein. Already have a habit to help you wind down at the end of a long or stressful day (wine and chocolate anyone?), try Mushroom Cacao with Reishi. We’ve created a whole routine structure so you know exactly when to take each of our products, whether it’s time of day or the action you are looking for. We have products for the morning, mid-day and evening, to help you think, chill, or defend.