M2Brew is the first innovation to launch from M2 Ingredients’ new Centre of Innovation, setting a new standard for brewed functional coffee where research-backed bioactives make it into the cup…

M2Brew is the first innovation to launch from M2 Ingredients’ new Centre of Innovation, setting a new standard for brewed functional coffee where research-backed bioactives make it into the cup

The functional coffee category is entering its next phase, putting brewed coffee front and centre. M2 Ingredients announces the launch of M2Brew, the first ingredient of its kind specifically engineered for drip, pod, pour-over, and foodservice coffee formats. It is the only mushroom ingredient designed to ensure beneficial, research-backed, bioactive compounds make it into the finished cup.

For the first time, brands can deliver functional benefits in authentic brewed coffee without compromising taste, clarity, or performance.

M2Brew delivers up to 100 times more beneficial mushroom compounds into the finished cup compared to other brewed mushroom coffee formats currently available, because competitive products do not make it through the filter and into the cup.

National Survey of 1,000+ Coffee Drinkers Reveals Massive Untapped Demand

New consumer research conducted by Glass Research in 2025, based on a survey of over 1,000 U.S. coffee drinkers, reveals a striking disconnect between interest and access:

Only 12 per cent of American coffee drinkers have tried mushroom coffee.

84 per cent say they are interested in trying it.

The U.S. mushroom coffee category has surpassed $1 billion annually, yet adoption, particularly in brewed formats, remains dramatically underpenetrated. Consumer demand is clear. What has been missing is a brewed solution that delivers real efficacy.

“For more than a decade, I’ve been working at the intersection of functional beverages and mushroom coffee, and one of the biggest technical barriers has always been brewing,” said Dr Sandra Carter, Founder of M2 Ingredients. “Most mushroom ingredients on the market were never designed for traditional coffee systems. When added to ground coffee, they often don’t move efficiently through the filter, and even when they do, only a small, water-soluble fraction of the bioactives ends up in the cup. That means consumers are not receiving meaningful levels of the beneficial compounds being promoted. On top of that, full-spectrum mushroom powders historically clogged filters, overflowed pods, and simply were not ready for true commercialisation. The industry had not solved the balance between performance in the equipment and efficacy in the cup… until now.”

“This is exactly why the most popular mushroom coffees on the market today are instant,” added Dr Julie Daoust, Chief Science and Technology Officer at M2 Ingredients. “Instant formats bypass the challenges of brewing, but the industry has been looking for a way to truly integrate functional mushrooms into brewed coffee as well. We wanted to develop a solution for brewed, mainstream coffee applications, products that can be served at coffee stations, gas stations, and foodservice programs across the country, while also elevating offerings in speciality cafés and at-home brewing. M2Brew was engineered so the bioactives survive the brewing process and reach the consumer. That is what makes this a breakthrough for the category.”