For Sheldrake, and numerous fungi enthusiasts, collaborating with these organisms presents a genuine opportunity to minimize our impact on the Earth. “They contribute significantly to a solution for the climate crisis,” he affirms. As rapidly growing and relatively low-maintenance crops, fungi allow us to reconsider our food system and initiate small shifts towards localized production. This symbiotic relationship between cultivators and consumers forms the foundation of Casa Bosques, a fine chocolate atelier based in Mexico City, founded by architectural designer Rafael Prieto. The brand recently partnered with Mycelia Lab, a mushroom farm and sustainable development outreach project based in Cuernavaca, to create Mycelium Edition, a collection of four chocolate bars, each uniquely blended with functional mushrooms. The “Power” bar, for instance, features cordyceps, while “Mycology” combines pink oyster mushrooms with shiitake.
Fine & Raw, a chocolate company based in Brooklyn, shares a similar commitment to collaborate with environmentally conscious growers. They have developed bars infused with cordyceps, known for its anti-aging properties, and chaga, which reduces inflammation in the body. Compartés, a chocolate brand based in Los Angeles, features reishi in its vegan Healing bar. Reishi is renowned for boosting the immune system and combating fatigue. The Healing bar also incorporates freeze-dried raspberries topped with matcha powder. Vehicle Chocolates, based in Portland, Oregon and co-founded by Matt Milletto, Alissa Friedman, and Dave Gurley, pays tribute to food journalist Michael Pollan with its Myco Pollen bar. This bar includes locally sourced bee pollen and mushrooms like red reishi and chaga, supporting Pollan’s advocacy for a more sustainable food system and the healing potential of psilocybin.
Wellness brands are also capitalizing on the combination of mushrooms and chocolate. Golde, a New York-based brand established by Trinity Mouzon Wofford, offers a latte blend called Shroom Shield. This blend incorporates reishi, cacao powder, and turkey tail mushrooms, believed to prevent oxidative stress. “We formulated it with a Swiss Miss packet in mind,” Mouzon Wofford explains. For a more soothing experience, Alice, a wellness brand with bases in New York and California, offers Nightcap. The bars, packaged in convenient tins, contain reishi and chamomile, introducing a calming nighttime treat.
Additionally, Alice provides Brainstorm, a blend featuring lion’s mane, intended for consumption during the day. The founders of the brand, Charlotte Cruze and Lindsay Goodstein, have observed a rise in customers enjoying these chocolates in social settings like dinner parties, where they are an alternative to stronger substances such as alcohol. “In a time where we’ve collectively felt pretty bad,” Cruze reflects, “people are looking for ways to feel good.”
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