Marketing the ancient for the 21st century: Rritual is uniting age old wisdom and modern customers

Human history is a vast field fed by rich cultural heritage, dense with wisdom and experience and blooming with important lessons. Insights which remain no less relevant today, but are often left behind by the pace of modern life. One company aiming to help reunite us with our global roots is bringing the health and wellness boosting world of functional mushroom adaptogens into a form easily accessible for, and tailored to, the modern individual.

It is a bold and strategic business move, which relies upon the wealth of untapped health potential overlooked, yet sorely needed, by modern society.

The demand: high stress modern life has few holistic solutions, and no time

Our lives are full of stressors, now more than ever before. Whether it is the high tension lifestyle of the tech world, the endless deadlines of study, or the more recent Covid-inspired stressors. Our bodies and minds are under constant pressure and we all struggle to master our anxiety levels. Inevitably the stress eventually takes a toll on our mental and physical health and undermines the quality of our everyday lives.

It would be wonderfully relaxing to get a lengthy massage, eat exclusively fresh foods and fit in an hour or two of mindfulness meditation each day. Yet these activities are too time consuming or expensive to allow for regular consumption. They can be used for emergencies, but on a daily basis there is significant room for improvement, especially as the pandemic continues to take its toll on our mental health.

Coffee lovers can boost their energy levels to fight fatigue, but end up crashing or building up resistance. Tea drinkers might find a cup or tea soothing, but the leaf juice can only get you so far. Yoga practitioners can loosen the body, but can’t exactly do so in the middle of a meeting. There is clearly a need for a functional solution that tackles the wide variety of our stress-induced needs.

Modern customers have become accustomed to easy fixes, swiping on our phones to find romance and opening up an app to take care of dinner. We have gotten used to having straightforward answers and easy to implement solutions. Taking such complex problems simply is a uniquely modern question, but might benefit from ancient answers.

The supply: Adaptogens offer significant untapped functional potential

Modern medicine has many tools for fighting the symptoms, sometimes even acute ones, which stress and anxiety bring. But it is poorly suited for fighting it on a daily ‘background’ basis. What we need is something that helps our bodies and minds cope. Something that supports our ability to adjust to different anxiety levels, boosts our immune system when stress cripples it, or just helps us sleep and relax the way we need to. What we need is adaptogens. 

The plants we now label adaptogens have been around forever: herbs from the amazon, roots from india, or even in mushrooms populating the forests of the north. Recognized by our ancestors for their ability to ease our daily struggles, they often are key ingredients in traditional medicines. Yet it was only in the second half of the 20th century that they were brought to attention of modern science, and the term ‘Adaptogen’ was coined. 

The term is a catchall that refers to the substance’s ability to help the human body and endocrine/nervous system ‘adapt’ to stressors. They activate biological pathways, or support our bodies internal systems. In other words they bolster our bodies’ ability to do what they already do naturally. This is exactly the kind of holistic functional support we need, not an external solution, but the foundation for a stronger internal one. 

Yet while science is only beginning to study them, with promising results, they remain largely unknown to the majority of audiences. In part this is a branding and image problem. People associate ‘traditional’ remedies with foul concoctions their grandmothers brewed up, or ineffectiveness compared to modern science. But maybe the grandmothers were a step ahead of science, as research is starting to demonstrate what tradition has known all along. Adaptogens work. 

But there is a challenge still in getting the message, and products, into the daily lives and healthy routines of those who need them.

Bridging the gap between ancient wisdom and modern markets

Adaptogens have already touched the markets, but have remained largely isolated in the wellness community. A few lifestyle bloggers and smoothie bars have helped propel them into national attention. But there is a dearth in accessibility, especially in the form adaptogens need to have the best effects. And the modern world is all about accessibility. 

The form needs to be suited to the function. One smoothie a week (cause who has the time or money for a daily one?) is not going to provide sufficient or reliable support to bolster mental fitness, much less immune system strength. Having ‘adaptogens’ in a facial cream might help sell a pricey bottle, but will hardly supply a significant dose to help the body fight the effects of stress. A daily, and affordable, solution is required.

Rritual was born out of the collaboration of a group of health experts and product and marketing savvy entrepreneurs. Their goal is to take the functional power of mushroom adaptogens to the next level. Their clean brand marketing and smart recipes are testament to the effectiveness of their project. 

They offer a series of ‘elixirs’, blends that place the main functional mushroom ingredient in the central role. Mixing them with other herbs and spices for flavor and their own adaptogenic properties. The genius of the model, however, is that these are meant to be combined with, not replace, customers existing routines. Instead of disrupting your life, the simple addition of one of their powders is as easy as adding sugar to your coffee. And way better for your health. 

Tailored to the values and tastes of modern consumers

Functional health and wellness solutions cannot ignore the desires of 21st century buyers. Companies that wish to bring the two together need to incorporate them into their products. Rritual has already made steps in that direction, guaranteeing fully vegan elixirs. Using mushrooms as the core ingredients also helps as these miracle workers are at the core of a greener approach to agriculture.

Yet in the process they have not forgotten the delicate palates of their customers. The earthy mushroom flavors are balanced by herbs and spices to complement each one, without dominating the taste of whatever tea or coffee the elixir is mixed into. Which of course, is the best way to make sure any given customer will enjoy the taste, let them combine it with their favorite brew!

Finally there is something for each concern a health conscious consumer might have. Whether what they need is help relaxing, boosting their immune system, or focusing for work or study, the ancient art of adaptogens can help. Modern companies are bridging that gap: bringing them to customers used to convenience and effectiveness, hallmarks of the products Rritual is developing.

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(Featured image by Paula via Pexels)

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