Featuring whole bean cocoa manufactured by Maverick Chocolate Co. and blended with a fruiting body mushroom blend, matcha, chai and other spices, Morning Bliss is the newest morning boost to shake up the alternative coffee market.
Morning Bliss has announced the launch of its new coffee alternative, featuring Maverick Chocolate’s whole-bean cocoa infused with fruiting body mushrooms, matcha, chai and additional spices. Morning Bliss is the brainchild of Scott Picton and Melissa Hagerty and is available for use in commercial establishments such as coffee shops and restaurants.
Picton and Hagerty were living in Maui, Hawaii, when Morning Bliss was created. Due to health issues, both were looking for a healthier alternative than their typical morning coffee and each wanted something that provided a better taste and featured better-tasting, ethically sourced ingredients.
“We love our caffeine and a hot beverage in the morning, but we both felt like we needed a more healthful morning drink that made us feel alert, awake and ready for the day,” Hagerty said. “The fact you can sneak in mushrooms, maca, matcha and chai makes it a great alternative coffee with better ingredients than most.”
They chose Cincinnati-based Maverick Chocolate Co. because of Picton’s family connection as the founders of Maverick Chocolate, in addition to the company’s “bean-to-bar” manufacturing process and direct-trade partnerships with farmers.
The fruiting body mushroom blend is sourced from Hawaii’s Big Island and features a mix of seven mushrooms: Lions Mane, Shiitake, Reishi, Tremella, Cordyceps, Maitake, and Turkey Tail; each featuring their own set of health benefits.
For example: Lions Mane is known to support brain and nerve health while Reishi has been used to calm the mind, treat respiratory conditions and insomnia. Meanwhile, the compounds in Turkey Tail have been shown to modulate immune cell function, trigger antioxidant enzyme’s increase white blood cells, and enhance production of the body’s own defense chemicals.
“We tried a lot of other coffee alternatives on the market and never found one that we thought tasted right and used organic, ethically sourced ingredients. So, we took two years to develop a recipe and secure the kind of ingredients – specifically whole bean cocoa and a fruiting body mushroom blend – that we believed would provide a great tasting product that was extremely healthful and sourced the right way,” Picton said.
Morning Bliss is Maverick Chocolate’s first coffee alternative beverage, which are gaining popularity as consumers seek substitutes for their morning, afternoon or evening cup of Joe. According to Allied Market Research, the global coffee substitute market is projected to reach $1.9 billion by 2032, growing at a compound annual rate of 4.2% over a 10-year period.
Award-winning Maverick Chocolate Co. is family owned and operated and was founded in 2013 by Paul and Marlene Picton. The bean-to-bar craft chocolate company uses ethically sourced cocoa beans in products from chocolate bars to truffles and drinks. The first Maverick Chocolate location opened in 2014 at Findlay Market in Cincinnati. The second location opened in 2018 at Cincinnati’s Rookwood Commons. For more information, visit MaverickChocolate.com.
Founded by Melissa Hagerty and Scott Picton, Morning Bliss is the new coffee alternative featuring whole-bean cocoa, a fruiting body mushroom blend, maca, matcha, chai and an additional spice blend. Morning Bliss is currently available for purchase from Maverick Chocolate Co.
