This is not your average energy drink

Odyssey Elixir, a mushroom-infused, functional beverage that's been around for a couple of years, is as intriguing as its founder. In this new video, Food & Beverage Insider Content Director Audarshia Townsend interviews Scott Frohman to get the real story behind the product.

Audarshia Townsend, Content Director, SupplySide Food & Beverage Journal

April 18, 2023

2 Min Read
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Scott Frohman has always been into fitness, whether he was participating in an Iron Man competition or choosing food and beverage products to fit into his healthy lifestyle routine. After Frohman discovered functional mushrooms more than eight years ago, he decided to jump into the F&B industry with Odyssey Elixir, sparkling functional beverages powered by Lion's Mane and cordyceps mushroom extracts.

“I really wanted to do something with the mushrooms … I wanted to put them in something more mainstream that people would look forward to [drinking],” he said at the annual Natural Products Expo West show in Anaheim, California.

Frohman realized, however, that for the average consumer, a mushroom-enhanced beverage wasn’t exactly appealing. That’s why his products come in enticing flavors like Blackberry Lemon Twist, Dragon Fruit Lemonade and Orange Ginger. He credited the palatable taste, particularly the ability to smooth out the mushroom flavor, to what he considers “one of the top formulation companies in the world.”

Nevertheless, he takes all the credit for those unique flavor combinations. “When it came to the flavors, I thought of what I really like,” he explained. “We wanted to have a broad array of different options, so that led us to the Dragon Fruit Lemonade because who doesn’t like a good lemonade? And I felt that orange with a little ginger would be really refreshing.”

Watch the entire video above as Audarshia Townsend, content director for Food & Beverage Insider, interviews him.

A lifelong Chicagoan, Audarshia Townsend is a veteran food and beverage journalist who serves as the content director for Food & Beverage Insider. She also appears regularly on local and national media to discuss food and beverage trends. When Townsend's not on the eats beat, she's an avid yogi and meditation practitioner.

About the Author

Audarshia Townsend

Content Director, SupplySide Food & Beverage Journal, Informa Markets

A lifelong Chicagoan, Audarshia Townsend is an award-winning, veteran food and beverage journalist who serves as the content director for the SupplySide Food & Beverage Journal brand. She is Informa Markets' 2024 "Star Storyteller" winner. Her experience as a visionary editor and writer spans 30 years, with an emphasis in print and digital magazines. Audarshia's professional passion is to champion and amplify underserved business communities. Some of her most recent content includes her review of 2023's F&B trends, the future of food science careers, an interview with culinary star Padma Lakshmi, and Pescavore's sustainable ahi tuna jerky strips. She also appears regularly on local and national media outlets to discuss food and beverage trends, most notably FOX-32 Chicago, WGN-TV, WXRT-FM, NPR-Chicago and the Travel Channel. She is often called on to serve as a judge for prestigious food, beverage and restaurant awards, including the James Beard Foundation, NEXTY Awards and Black Women in Food. She continues to write for Chicago magazine, and previously she has written for the likes of the Chicago Tribune, Eater Chicago, Esquire, Essence, Los Angeles Times, Playboy, Time Out Global and World’s Best Bars. With food and beverage being her longtime, chosen beat in media, she has created content for a number of prestigious brands such as AOL, Google, Lawry’s Seasoned Salt, Lexus, MasterCard, Markon Cooperative Inc., Miller Brewing Co., Resy and Simplot Foods.

To date, Audarshia has guest lectured at the following higher-education institutions: Columbia College Chicago and Loyola University Chicago for undergraduate journalism students; Northwestern University for graduate journalism students; and Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) for undergraduate, graduate and Ph.D. food science students. She also mentors aspiring young writers and journalists whenever she can. Email her at [email protected] and also connect with her on LinkedIn.

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