About two weeks ago, The Yield Growth Corp. (CSE: BOSS) (OTCQB: BOSQF) completed the acquisition of a library of edible mushroom formulas as part of an initiative to capitalize on an accelerating trend towards mushroom edibles. Management is wasting no time building a footprint in a global market forecast by analysts at Research and Markets to grow nearly 8% annually to reach $62 billion by 2023, a fact that could one day have Yield Growth a household name in the industry alongside Half Hill Farm, Concord Farms and Real Mushrooms.
Rich History + Modern Science = Great Opportunity
Mushrooms and other fungi have played an important part in wellness for centuries. Reishi mushrooms, believed to be the longest used fungus for medicinal applications, were integral to ancient Chinese medicines. Research in the last century has given rise to discoveries for antibiotics, diabetes medicines, malaria treatments and more derived from fungi.
Ancient wisdom is colliding with modern science at a time when consumer demand is growing for dietary supplements in a bid by people to remain healthy and disease-free.
Known to be rich in pantothenic acid, vitamin B, vitamin D, antioxidants and phosphorus, the list of medicinal benefits of mushrooms keeps growing. Studies have shown cordyceps (a scientific name for medicinal mushrooms) increase exercise performance, improve memory and sex drive, slow growth of tumors, can improve heart health and even can have a positive protective effect on the brain.
To that point, Fortune Business Insights, just like Research and Markets, foresees a “steep rise” in the global functional mushrooms market in the upcoming years, underpinned by a bevy of drivers, including rapid urbanization, changing lifestyles and increasing per capita income, amongst other things.
Investors would be wise to also consider the potential for psilocybin, the component of “magic mushrooms” responsible for the psychedelic effect, when evaluating the overall mushroom market, as the potential for new drug development is very real. The summary of a recent study by the University of Zurich concluded, “Mindful meditation enhances the positive effects of a single dose of psilocybin by increasing empathy and reducing egocentricity.”
It is with good reason that the esteemed Johns Hopkins Medicine has raised $17 million to launch a new Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research to study compounds like LSD and psilocybin for a range of mental health problems, including anorexia, addiction and depression. It is the first center of its type in the U.S.
Moving with a Purpose
In a matter of just weeks, The Yield Growth Corp. has established a new subsidiary (Flourish Mushroom Labs Inc.) focused on the edible mushroom market opportunity; completed the acquisition bringing a catalog of edible mushroom formulations under their umbrella; and brought on sales broker veteran Amber Allen as Head of Sales for retail distribution.
This morning, the advancements kept coming, with the parent company saying that it has completed initial development of a formula for mushroom coffee to launch a new line of mushroom-infused coffee mixes via Flourish Mushroom Labs. The strategy is to commercialize a full-line of mushroom coffees whose recipes include the likes of Reishi, Shitake, Lion’s Man, Turkey Tail, Chagas and Cordyceps – in other words, mushrooms widely acknowledged to have health benefits.
Get Ready for Takeoff
Yield Growth expects to launch the new coffees in the first half of 2020.
Yield Growth CEO Penny White expressed that the company will leverage some of the existing distribution network already available for purveying Yield Growth’s hemp products. With more than 200 product formulations in its portfolio, BOSS has received acclaim for its Urban Juve lineup of all-natural, hemp-based skincare products, particularly its Skin Awakening Anti-aging Serum that has been featured in Vanity Fair U.K., British Vogue and Elle Canada. Through a series of distribution agreements, Yield Growth has access to more than 8,000 retail locations across Canada, Colombia, Brazil, Greece and Cypress for its Urban Juve products.
Untapped Psychedelic Value
While there is an near-term opportunity in the functional mushroom market, Yield Growth is also evaluating potential for psilocybin product development. “[W]e are also interested in how magic mushrooms induced psychedelic states of mind may have therapeutic benefits,” said White.
This is a matter of prescient analysis to get in front of what is emerging as an industry with considerable light being cast upon it. Former Canopy Growth (NYSE: CGC)(TSX: WEED) co-CEO Bruce Linton, who built Canopy into the world’s biggest cannabis company, sees similarities between the genesis of the legal marijuana markets and where psychedelics are today. “There’s probably untapped value, which will only go to the people who are at the beginning and bold,” Linton said recently in an interview with The Canadian Press.
Take note that investors are starting to bet big on the future of psychedelic medicines. In addition to people like Linton hopping into the space and Johns Hopkins’ new center, there is more quantifiable evidence of interest in ATAI Life Sciences raising $43 million earlier this year in a series B round at a valuation of $240 million.
Yield Growth is looking at this market opportunity in combination with its other revenue-generating operations while it is carrying a valuation of just $21.8 million.
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