014: Chocolate and Mushrooms: A Sweet Combination for Better Sleep, Focus and Beyond with Charlotte Cruze

Essential Ingredients Podcast

“For functional mushrooms, you need to take a medicinal dose daily for about three weeks to feel something. They do not work instantly. That's a big gap in the market that people don't understand.” —Charlotte Cruze

When it comes to wellness, some pairings just make perfect sense. Mushrooms and chocolate may seem an unlikely match made in hedonistic heaven, but their union holds untapped potential.

Mushrooms have long been prized for their healing properties across cultures. Science now shows their ability to boost brain health, energy levels, and more. Chocolate, too, has benefits, with flavonoids that uplift mood and antioxidants aplenty. By melding mushrooms' functional powers with chocolate's feel-good compounds, a new generation of treats could emerge.

This episode explores the exciting world of functional mushroom chocolate with Charlotte Cruze, the Co-Founder and COO of Alice Mushrooms, a company pioneering the use of functional mushrooms in delicious chocolate formulations. With a master's degree in Food Studies from NYU and over 10 years in the consumer food industry, she is dedicated to educating people about evidence-backed natural wellness solutions. Through her leadership of Alice, Charlotte is helping more individuals harness the profound benefits of functional foods like mushrooms in an enjoyable and effective way.

Listen in as Charlotte provides an overview of Alice's three flagship mushroom chocolate products, their thoughtful formulation process to deliver both instant and long-term benefits, and tips for taking the chocolates throughout the day. Justine and Charlotte also discuss partner dynamics in business and the importance of complementing each other's skills, the role of education in spreading awareness of functional mushrooms' profound effects, as well as real customer success stories demonstrating the life-changing impacts of mushrooms.

Meet Charlotte:

Charlotte Cruze is the co-founder and COO of Alice Mushrooms, a pioneering company crafting functional mushroom chocolates. She holds a master's degree in Food Studies from NYU and has over 10 years of experience in the consumer food industry.

Prior to founding Alice, Charlotte worked on early-stage food brands and developed a passion for food's role in wellness. She is an advocate for natural, whole-food solutions and believes in food's power to profoundly impact lives.

Under Charlotte's leadership, Alice has launched three flagship mushroom chocolate SKUs focused on energy, sleep, and arousal. She oversees formulation, operations, and education initiatives. Charlotte is dedicated to spreading awareness of functional mushrooms' benefits through delicious products and informative content.

When not running Alice, Charlotte enjoys yoga, long-distance cycling, and learning about new functional foods. She finds fulfillment in empowering others to feel their best through high-quality nutrition.

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Episode Highlights:

03:14 Mushroom-Infused Chocolate

08:26 Different Chocolates for Different Feelings

13:23 Chocolate as a Functional Food

17:17 Formulating Functional Mushroom Products

21:13 The Benefits of Functional Mushroom