If you’ve spent more than five minutes on Instagram or TikTok lately, you’ve probably seen that wooden spoon swirling a muddy, frothy concoction in a ceramic mug. It’s everywhere. People swear it fixed their bloat, killed their caffeine jitters, and turned them into productivity wizards. But while everyone is talking about the "shrooms," hardly anyone is looking at the people holding the spoon.
So, who owns Ryze mushroom coffee? It’s not some faceless multi-billion-dollar conglomerate like Nestlé or Kraft—at least not directly—though there is a funny connection there.
The Minds Behind the Mug
The brand is actually the brainchild of two Harvard graduates, Andrée Werner and Rashad Hossain. Honestly, the origin story feels like a classic "we were stressed-out Ivy Leaguers" trope, but it’s real.
Back in their college days, they were basically surviving on 4 to 5 cups of burnt coffee a day. If you’ve ever been in that cycle, you know the drill: high energy for twenty minutes followed by a heart-pounding crash and a stomach that feels like it’s full of battery acid. They wanted out.
Rashad actually had some serious street cred in the coffee world before starting RYZE. He spent a few years at Kraft Heinz, working on marketing for some of the biggest coffee brands in the world. Imagine the irony. He was literally the guy selling the products that were making people feel like garbage. That "insider" perspective is probably why RYZE feels so different from your standard Maxwell House; he knew exactly what was wrong with the industry.
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Is RYZE a Private Company?
Yep. RYZE is still a private company, which means you can’t go buy shares of it on the New York Stock Exchange tomorrow. It’s technically registered as RYZE Superfoods (or RYZE, Inc.) and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.
However, "privately owned" doesn't mean it’s just two people in a kitchen anymore. As of 2026, they’ve scaled massively. They have a growing team and have taken on some significant venture capital. If you want to get technical about who "owns" it, you have to look at the investors who have a seat at the table:
- PS27 Ventures: They were super early investors through their Rhea Fund.
- 11 Tribes Ventures: A firm that focuses on "redemptive entrepreneurship."
- Emigrant Capital Corp: A private equity player that has a slice of the pie.
- Reign Ventures & Northwood Ventures: Other names that popped up in their seed and early-stage funding rounds.
Basically, while Andrée and Rashad are the face and the founders, they share ownership with a handful of savvy investment firms that saw the "functional beverage" trend coming from a mile away.
Why the Ownership Matters (The Kraft Connection)
There’s something kinda cool about the fact that Rashad left a giant like Kraft Heinz to do this. It’s a classic David vs. Goliath story, except David is using Lion’s Mane and Cordyceps instead of a slingshot.
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Because the founders own a significant stake and haven't sold out to a major food conglomerate yet, they’ve managed to keep the formula pretty clean. They use a blend of six functional mushrooms—Cordyceps, Lion’s Mane, Reishi, Shiitake, Turkey Tail, and King Trumpet. Most "big food" companies would probably try to cut corners by using fillers or cheaper extracts, but RYZE has stuck to their 48mg caffeine recipe.
The "Scam" Rumors and the Business Model
Look, you can't talk about who owns Ryze mushroom coffee without mentioning the elephant in the room: the subscription model.
If you look at Reddit or the Better Business Bureau, you’ll see people complaining about "auto-ship scams." It’s not actually a scam, but it is a very aggressive business tactic. The owners built RYZE as a DTC (Direct-to-Consumer) brand. They want you on a subscription. It’s how they reached nearly $20 million in revenue so quickly.
Some people find it annoying to cancel, but that's the trade-off for getting the "member pricing." It’s a modern business play—locking in recurring revenue to keep the venture capitalists happy.
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What Most People Get Wrong About the Brand
People often think some celebrity owns RYZE because of all the influencer ads. It’s not a "celebrity brand" like Ryan Reynolds and Mint Mobile. It’s a "founder-led" brand that just happens to have a massive marketing budget.
Another misconception? That it’s a tiny mom-and-pop shop. By 2023, they already had over 30,000 subscribers. By now, that number has ballooned. They are a major player in the wellness space, competing directly with brands like Four Sigmatic and Mud/Wtr.
The Bottom Line on Ownership
At the end of the day, Andrée Werner and Rashad Hossain are the captains of the ship. They started it in 2020 (perfect timing for a health-conscious, stay-at-home world) and have steered it into a multi-million dollar powerhouse.
If you’re looking to support a brand that isn't owned by a global conglomerate that also makes laundry detergent and cigarettes, RYZE fits the bill. They are an independent, VC-backed startup that’s still run by the people who actually came up with the idea in a dorm room.
How to Check if RYZE Is For You
Don't just take the marketing at face value. If you're curious about the product these guys built, here is the best way to approach it:
- Check the Ingredients: Ensure you aren't sensitive to MCT oil, as that’s the "creamer" part of the base.
- Audit the Cost: It’s roughly $1 per cup if you subscribe, which is cheaper than Starbucks but pricier than home-brewed Folgers.
- Manage Your Subscription: If you buy it, set a calendar reminder for 25 days later. That way, you can cancel before the next bag ships if you decide the "mushroom life" isn't for you.
- Look for the Lab Results: The founders are big on quality, so you can usually find info on their sourcing—they use mushrooms grown in the USA, which is a big deal for heavy metal testing.
Whether you love the taste or think it tastes like "earthy dirt," there's no denying that the two Harvard grads who own it have completely changed how we think about our morning cup of joe.