​​Enterprising Tricia wins in London with healthy coffee alternative

Tricia McNeilly, the food nutritionist at the forefront of Otzibrew, a unique beverage that she describes as a healthy and sustainable alternative to coffee, has just won significant business for the product in Great Britain.

The Belfast-based entrepreneur, who owns Otzibrew, a small research-led food business, has just begun supplying the product to all 10 Planet Organic natural food supermarkets in London, a major marketing breakthrough for the small company.

“I am thrilled with the listing by such a prestigious client,” she says. “For those seeking to enhance their morning routine, our coffee alternatives offer a refreshing option to traditional coffee – without the jitters or crash. Packed with natural, energy-boosting ingredients, they’re designed to help people stay focused, energised, and balanced throughout the day,” adds Tricia.

“We’re especially proud to be stocked at Planet Organic, a brand we’ve long admired for their commitment to health, sustainability, and quality. The retailer’s longstanding passion for natural products aligns perfectly with our mission to offer a clean, mindful choice for coffee lovers everywhere,” she continues.

Planet Organic is a British supermarket chain founded by the American entrepreneur Renee Elliott in 1995 in West London. It was then the UK’s first organic supermarket and is now the largest fully certified organic retail outlet with 8,000 lines.

In 2020, Planet Organic announced plans to double its store numbers within the next four years, expanding its overall network to around 18 stores. In March 2020, Planet Organic acquired London based chain As Nature Intended.

Tricia has won widespread acclaim, as well substantial sales, for the drink, a pioneering organic chicory and cordyceps mushroom coffee alternative, a hot drink that is claimed to promote optimal digestive health, regulate appetite, increase energy and stamina, and improve memory.

Tricia’s innovative coffee alternative is a freeze-dried powder made with 100% natural and organic plant extracts that can be made in a cafetiere. The coffee alternative, she continues, is “the latest outcome of our mission to unlock the amazing health benefits of nature’s naturally sourced medicinal mushrooms and their outstanding powers for longevity, energy and immunity”.

The Otzibrew drink also reflects the company’s concern for environment and is available in eco-friendly paper tubes for freshness and sustainability.

“The product is free from caffeine, dairy and gluten,” she explains, “and is also suitable for vegans”. There’s a three-strong range of healthy coffee alternatives that also features organic coconut milk and organic dandelion and burdock, all created by the enterprising Belfast woman from her extensive research into naturally sourced ingredients.

Other hot drink powders developed by Tricia from medicinal mushrooms include Chaga, a natural, nutritious, caffeine-free hot drink alternative containing “the ground breaking health benefits of one of nature’s most incredible resources”, Tricia says.

“The Chaga mushroom’s properties are no secret in northern and eastern cultures.

The mushrooms have been used there successfully for thousands of years. There is a long list of benefits from the distinctive Chaga mushroom, for instance, which has been found to boost the immune system, is full of melanin which helps hair, nail and skin health as well as regulating sleep,” she adds.

She’s also freeze-dried Lion’s Mane, another medicinal mushroom that’s been used for centuries in Asian medicine. Named after their appearance resembling a lion’s mane, they are large, white and shaggy mushrooms. They have both culinary and medical uses in China, India, Japan and Korea, where they are enjoyed raw, cooked, dried or steeped as a tea. Their extracts are often used in over-the-counter health supplements. And studies have found that lion’s mane mushrooms contain two special compounds that can stimulate the growth of brain cells and improve memory.

They are reported to benefit heart health, blood sugar and digestion. Otzibrew’s unique Chaga in a convenient plastic pot was listed by Selfridges, Amazon and Whole Foods stores in London.

Set up from lengthy research by Tricia that pinpointed new product opportunities in medicinal mushrooms, her objective was to develop convenient and innovative drinks by freeze-drying and then to market them in global markets.

“Medicinal mushrooms have been used for thousands of years to improve health, brain function and immunity,” Tricia continues. “But Chaga is totally different in that it has been shown to contain the highest level of antioxidants, is especially rich in melanin, a powerful anti-inflammatory, and is packed with life enhancing nutrients such as manganese, potassium, calcium, zinc, iron, betulinic acid and phosphorous.

“Melanin has been found by Russian scientists to protect genes and even to help in repairing broken DNA,” she adds. “Such qualities could help in addressing cancer for instance.”

Otzibrew products are completely pure and natural with no additives whatsoever.