It all begins with friendship and travels
Rachèle brought her background in business development and her passion for sales and public relations. Maeva had a previous experience in sustainable development, events management, marketing. But most importantly, both of them shared one important asset: a true friendship.
We needed new challenges, we wanted to change the way we lived… so we went on a backpack trip to Colombia to find inspiration and see if we were ready to start working together.
Rachèle
In November 2017, on a hike in the beautiful zona cafetera, they decided to launch a business in the coffee industry that would be socially responsible. Back to Montreal, they met with a mycologist who introduced them to the complementarity between coffee and medicinal fungus.
After months of research and development, they came up with a coffee bean that integrates the positive mental and physical impacts of these fungus. Spark, Vigor and Vital each provide a different benefit.
It was important to select the best possible coffee. All grains are hand-picked and slow-roasted.
Maeva
Innovation by curiosity
Neither Rachel nor Maeva have a technical training in mycology or in science. They are not inventors but they can be innovators because they have an acute perception of the market. They understand consumers, their needs and desires for alternative products.
Some people might find it strange to add mushroom extracts to coffee beans but not our generation. Curiosity is part of our DNA.
Rachèle
They also know how to make the solution attractive: they have created three types of coffee, with three exclusive visuals from French designer Julien Brogard, picked through an international competition and their boxes are zero waste.
Collaboration and independence all the way
Collaboration is key to their growth. Mushup is working hand in hand with partners like graphic designers (from the Billy Club) to develop, one coffee at a time.
Starting a new business was a way for us to come back to our original life objectives. We needed to gain control over our lives so it was natural to also keep control over our business
You can buy Mushup products online or in a (growing) number of local shops. You can also taste it, among other places, at the lovely Bistro Tendresse in Montreal Village neighbourhood.
The building, on Notre-Dame in the new popular area of Saint-Henri, was in need of major repairs, in fact it had to be entirely reconstructed starting with the wood support pole. When normal people would have considered the help of carpenters, electricians, architects, or bricklayers, Malina and Steven decided to do it themselves. These two autodidacts went through hundreds of books, learnt the composition of walls, fire resistance of components, and completed the Autocad Training in Montreal for Interior Design.
Innovation Montreal 