Co-founders of London Nootropics Zain Peer and Shez Shaikh are championing cannabinoids as part of their adaptogenic coffee range to help drinkers balance their mind and body.
The health-conscious duo founded London Nootropics in March 2020 to make adaptogenic drinks accessible to consumers.
According to Global Market Insights, the adaptogenic market is set to see rapid growth – valued at $8.5bn in 2020 and is expected to reach a valuation of around $14bn by 2027. The market is being driven by a demand for functional food and drink products. The growing health and wellbeing awareness of consumers is also driving the growth of the CBD market – which Vantage Market Research predicts will reach $47.22bn by 2028.
In the UK – the CBD market is the second-largest in the world behind the US. A recent report from the Association for the Cannabinoid Industry and Centre for Medicinal Cannabis ‘Green Shoots – Sowing The Seeds Of The New UK Cannabinoid Market’ estimated the UK CBD market generated £690m in annual sales for 2021 – exceeding 2019 predictions.
With the continuing popularity of coffee, London Nootropics is tapping into these booming health trends.
Co-founder Zain Peer spoke to Cannabis Wealth about the company’s journey and how it is harnessing the benefits of CBD in its products.
Peer commented: “We were having coffee before the gym with added natural ingredients as an alternative to chemical-laced pre-workout treat. We started pre-making these little pots and handing them out. People said we should make it into a product.”
Read more: CBD market to see massive growth by 2028
The duo teamed up with a nutritionist who introduced them to adaptogenic ingredients including mushrooms and CBD.
“We started making different blends which put a light bulb on in our head – metaphorically, but also physically. We had mental clarity, verbal fluency,” he said. “It was really good. We started taking it every day depending on what we needed. So, it quickly became not just a pre-workout drink but more of a lifestyle for us.
“We decided to make three different blends based on what you need to find your flow in your day. One of those blends, our Zen blend, is our most balancing blend. It has CBD in it as well as ashwagandha.”
The Zen blend features CBD and ashwagandha together. CBD interacts with the endocannabinoid system and ashwagandha works on the adrenals – meaning the coffee blend works on two different systems in the body at once.
“Ashwagandha helps balance hormones,” points out Zain. “When we have coffee and caffeine it can increase our cortisol which is a stress hormone, especially people who are sensitive to caffeine or who drink a lot.
“Because of the increase in cortisol, you can get jitters and anxiety. Ashwagandha can help balance our cortisol and adrenal helps balance our cortisol. So, as we’re having coffee and caffeine, we still feel balanced – we don’t have that spike in cortisol that makes us and jittery and anxious.
“A lot of people write to us and they say they usually stay away from coffee but they try our blend and they could finally enjoy caffeine and get the benefits without the side effects.
“We’re all unique individuals. We all have different endocannabinoid systems so the blend works with your own body’s homeostasis and brings that back to balance.”
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Peer highlights the important aspect of using water-soluble cannabinoids.
“We use a broad spectrum, water-soluble with small amounts of other cannabinoids, but it’s mainly CBD and you do get the entourage effect with a broad spectrum,” he commented. “With oils – they’re best ingested via the salivary glands under your tongue. We use the water-soluble in the drink because we’re drinking it so, it’s going to mean a higher bioavailability.”
As well as the adaptogenic and CBD markets being driven by a growing awareness of health choices, Peer points out their evolution is being spurred on by the Covid-19 pandemic. Consumers are increasingly stressed, tired and looking for new ways to manage their unwanted symptoms.
Peer said: “I think coronavirus and lockdown have sped up the use of adaptogens and other natural ingredients and made people more health-conscious.
“We see CBD as another adaptogen and we’ve obviously seen the good synergies between coffee and adaptogens.
“I think something that we realised right at the beginning is that when we started taking medicinal mushrooms and other adaptogens – we wanted to make them available everywhere. I think in the next couple of years the market is going to grow a lot. Not just CBD, but medicinal mushrooms and other adaptogens – we’re are going to see a lot more products coming to market.”
Sitting at the cross-section of these rapidly growing markets is an “incredible place to be”, says Peer, and when the pair appeared on the BBC’s Dragon’s Den, investment from two Dragons – Deborah Meaden and Sarah Davies – was a welcome development.
“I think we’ve been very lucky because we launched when lockdown started,” commented Peer.
“It turns out that all the coffee shops closed. And we just focused online on direct-to-consumer sales, sending boxes through the post, which works out really well.
“We are really excited for the upcoming year – we are developing new products and we are still growing in the UK and abroad. We are seeing growth, especially since Dragon’s Den. The whole experience has been incredible.”
London Nootropics will be looking for further investment in the future as it executes its plans for growth.
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