5@5: Magic mushrooms meet coffee and tea | Beyond Meat's Q2 growth

Magic mushroom coffee and tea coming to a pot near you?

Strava Craft Coffee recently announced its plans to begin selling coffee beans and tea products infused with psilocybin from magic mushrooms. The company hopes that psilocybin will follow the same trajectory that cannabis has, and that there will be a more favorable regulatory environment nationwide for the mind-altering compound by 2020. Read more at Westword …

Beyond Meat’s Q2 earnings highlight stunning growth and investor jitters

Beyond Meat’s second-quarter earnings totaled over $67.3 million, which beat industry expectations and underscores the fact that the hype for alt meat isn’t dying down anytime soon. The company has obtained several celebrity investors in addition to tech money, and through its marketing strategy has been successful at removing the stigma that plant-based meat alternatives are “premium products." Read more at New Food Economy …

The future of food is biofortified, says plant breeding pioneer

Biofortification of the crop supply may just be the simplest way to give consumers improved nutrition outcomes at a fixed cost. Former HarvestPlus CEO Howarth Bouis spearheaded the biofortification movement—he says it’s “sort of like putting fluoride in the water system”—and expounds upon the challenges that remain in terms of scaling this nutrition intervention in this Q&A. Read more at Devex …

NakedPoppy launches curated beauty marketplace for wellness junkies

A new natural cosmetics startup with an emphasis on personalization and transparency launched today with $4 million in venture capital backing from top investors. NakedPoppy hopes to make buying clean makeup easier for consumers and joins the ranks of other emerging and popular direct-to-consumer beauty brands and startups that put ease-of-access first. Read more at TechCrunch …

The natural cure for burnout is profound and utter awe

As many in the natural industry know, burnout is becoming a more and more prevalent issue that negatively affects consumers’ overall health and wellbeing. One reason for this? A deprivation of awe in adults’ lives, or ways to find perspective amid hectic schedules and acute stress. Read more at Forge …

Learn ways to solve burnout through the power of connection at Natural Products Business School at Expo East.