Whenever a new drink product launches, it usually begins with a gap in the market. For Authentic Brew, it started with a gigantic chasm. This isn’t a fairy-tale for Founder Mike Mudie, it’s one that began with shrugging off the fast-paced nature of the tech world, a necessary step after suffering with big tech burnout.
“My heart was racing constantly,” he said. “It felt like barbed wire was wrapped around my head. I’d go from burning hot and sweating to freezing and shivering. It was terrifying.” Test after test came back normal. Cardiology. Neurology. Hormones. Bloodwork, they were all normal.
“I was handed a blanket of prescriptions, antidepressants, sleeping tablets, painkillers. But something inside me knew that wasn’t the path.”
Return to Rhythm
Through introductions, Mike found a team of holistic practitioners. What they prescribed was simple yet powerful; walking barefoot on grass, Indian head massages, sound and light therapy, sunlight and moonlight, stillness and breathwork. This included foraging locally to create home brews made from natural ingredients from the land and sea. He drank those three or four times a day.
“And I came back. My energy returned. My clarity returned. My sparkle came back and with a completely different mindset.” Maybe burnout was the shutdown Mike needed to rewire his brain a bit. When he was strong again, Mike went looking for a ready-made alternative.
“I searched across four continents. We reviewed over 500 products. There were lots of claims, lots of clever marketing. When we looked closely, it was mostly caffeines, sugars, synthetic ingredients, fillers, untraceable sources. It wasn’t authentic.
“There were some truly incredible mushroom extracts, seaweed supplements, healing roots and adaptogenic blends out there. Although nothing brought them all together in one, clean, ready-to-drink format.
“That shocked me. That was the lightbulb moment.” And so Authentic Brew was born, 100 percent natural, functional energy. Powered by Mother Nature.
Mike, centre, with Andy Ramage (left) and Posy Mudie (right)
Big Wave Bonus
That’s when the brand caught the eye of UK big wave charger Laura Crane. Imagine, a pro surfer, committed to the healthy learnings of life. Authentic Brew committed to supporting healthy habits. The coupling was tact-sharp. “It just gives me that little bit of extra energy,” said Laura, after putting Authentic Brew through its paces. “It allows me to do what I really love to the best of my abilities.”
For Laura, her lightbulb moment came when she replaced a morning coffee with Authentic Brew. “That’s been huge for me,” she said. “My moods don’t swing around, I’ve got this renewed energy.
“I guess well, it’s a healthy alternative to anything else on the market, and they’re always thinking about the environment, which is what was one of the biggest attractions to Authentic Brew for me to join the team.
“It’s different because of its values. Authentic Brew is an energy drink for the people and the planet. There’s so much more we could be doing and they’re leading the way — pioneers in helping the planet and holding themselves accountable, which is huge for any brand. And the taste? Simply amazing. That’s the best part.”
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Taking The Axe
The Authentic Brew Crew couldn’t stop there, with Laura vouching for its legitimacy, Mike moves conversations forward. What he found was that big name brands were not necessarily aligning to the athletes they sponsor. “The pinnacle of performance and wellbeing was largely sponsored by outdated alcohol brands and traditional energy drinks. Commercially it made sense. Philosophically? It made none.”
The mission became clear; to create a genuinely functional, natural product. Build partnerships based on alignment, not chequebooks. Zero compromises.
Authentic Brew calls itself a functional energy drink. But not the jittery, heart-racing kind fuelled by caffeine, added sugars and synthetics.
“Energy across a spectrum,” Mike explains. “Focus, clarity, performance, as well as rest, recovery and regeneration.”
The world’s first formulation combines three UK organic functional mushrooms; Lion’s Mane, Reishi and Chaga, alongside organic seaweeds, adaptogenic roots like Ginseng and Fermented Rhodiola, and calming support from chamomile and L-theanine.
“It’s not about spikes and crashes,” he says. “It’s about supporting your natural neurology, biology and circadian rhythms.”
After 15 months of R&D and hundreds of tests, working alongside experts in nutrition, science and plant alchemy which included the development team behind Seedlip — the formula was launched.
The first batch sold out in eight weeks.
Not your usual drink. This is 100% natural, functional energy but don’t just take our word for it.
Non-Alcoholic Wave
Then came the third piece to the AB movement; Andy Ramage; performance coach, author and long-time voice in the alcohol-free movement – and an intro back in 2019 from mutuals set Mike and Andy on a journey together.
When Mike explained that 25% of Authentic Brew’s net profits would go towards biodiversity and restoration initiatives, “rewilding people and places”, Andy felt something zing.
“It felt like the moment my brain had been waiting for. When Mike got to that point, I was in. Completely in,” he said. “I genuinely couldn’t understand how we were going to make raw, organic mushrooms and seaweeds taste good. When I tasted it, I was blown away. I thought; we’re really onto something here. I felt this warm glow and a gentle lift. I wasn’t expecting it, so it wasn’t placebo. That’s when I knew this was different. For me, it’s like a warm cuddle from Mother Nature. A steady, consistent lift to life without the jittery crash you get from caffeine and added sugars.”
Andy has spent a decade at the forefront of the alcohol-free movement and has seen cultural change accelerate. “I never wag a finger,” he said. “Instead of ‘stop drinking’ or ‘stop coffee’, it’s; why not just try it and find out for yourself? Run it as an experiment. What have you got to lose?”
Authentic Brew has been built on something more focussed than just pushing cash through product, it’s more about your own body’s biological intelligence, environmental responsibility and the belief that high performance doesn’t have to come at the expense of our health, or the planet.
For more information, head over to the Authentic Brew website, and follow along on socials
