Northeastern graduate Danny Walsh’s love of coffee has sent him down a journey he never expected to take. 

After watching health-conscious people continue to endure chalky flavored powders and pills to supplement their daily nutrition, Walsh believed there was a better way. By combining his love for coffee and being healthy, he created the mushroom-infused Peak State Coffee. 

“We make amazing coffee that has health benefits,” Walsh says. “When you’re drinking your morning cup, you’re getting even more out of that routine—brain health, immunity support and stress balance—all while drinking an uncompromising cup of coffee.”

The company infuses organic whole coffee beans with extracts of mushrooms such as adaptogen reishi, lion’s mane, cordyceps and chaga. The patented process makes the coffee boost the body’s immunity through added antioxidants. It’s also less acidic due to how the coffee is grown and roasted, and supports gut-healthy prebiotics. 

Peak State Coffee is different, but Walsh promises, “You won’t taste anything funky.” Instead, the coffee smells and tastes like regular coffee, he says. It’s sold on the company’s website or on Amazon where customers can place a one-time or subscription order. 

Now with 10 part-time employees, the company was founded in 2020, two years after Walsh graduated from Northeastern. Sales last year were $300,000, double from 2021, according to Axios Denver. 

Peak State Coffee is now looking for an angel investor to continue to grow the company. Walsh worked with IDEA, Northeastern’s student-led venture accelerator, to get seed funding. In February, the company won $3,000 in the 18th annual Naturally Boulder pitch contest, dubbed the unofficial “Shark Tank” for natural foods. The coffee won over the judges and took the people’s choice award.

Walsh says Northeastern’s Venture Mentoring Network has also been a valuable resource. The network, he says, includes mentors with decades of experience who shared industry tips on beginning a company.

“It has helped me a lot with Peak State, working with folks who have been in food and beverage, natural products, CPG (consumer packaged goods),” he says.

Walsh grew up in the Boston area and earned his bachelor’s degree in science engineering and a master’s in business administration. While at Northeastern, he was already trying out a few business ideas, including a local event services company.

“I’ve always had this entrepreneurial bug,” Walsh says.

After relocating to Colorado, he watched natural products begin to succeed around him, so he realized there was an opportunity. He thought if those same nutritional benefits were already in your coffee, “you’re never going to forget to take your dose.”

Starting a company is always stressful—more so if you do it during a global pandemic when supply chain issues were followed by record inflation. But there’s one big benefit of starting a coffee company, Walsh says.

“When things get hard,” he says, “it’s easy to keep going when you have an endless supply of coffee.”

Beth Treffeisen is a Northeastern Global News reporter. Email her at b.treffeisen@northeastern.edu. Follow her on Twitter @beth_treffeisen.