The deal between the two companies sees Maypro, an ingredient solutions provider, expand its portfolio of clean-label ingredients with NuCelium’s North American-grown, certified organic fungi products.
According to the companies, NuCelium operates differently from many companies, cultivating mushrooms by including the mycelium rather than relying solely on the fruiting bodies.
The partnership will see Maypro distribute NuCelium’s Cordyfuel, which is described as its flagship ingredient. Cordycepin is the key bioactive responsible for delivering increased energy, endurance and vitality, the companies stated.
“At Maypro, we recognized early on that mushrooms were an emerging category experiencing rapid growth,” Lauren Clardy, senior director of branded ingredients at MayPro, told NutraIngredients. “Internally, we established clear criteria for any potential partner—products needed to be organic, North American–grown, produced using innovative cultivation methods and grown on a unique, value-added substrate rather than conventional grains or oats. NuCelium stood out immediately.”
Growing interest in mushroom supplements
Clardy said that growth in the mushroom-based supplement market had risen 19.1% year-on-year based on 2025 data. Current market analysis suggests that the global market size for functional mushroom products is worth approximately $12 billion.
Beyond this, consumer interest is growing beyond just supplements and into mushroom-infused foods or beverages—37% of consumers use such products, compared to 27% taking supplements, with further data suggesting that the food and beverage segment is rapidly outpacing the supplement segment, Clardy noted.
Another attractive factor for this market, she explained, is that the demographic trends are being driven by younger consumers, as Gen Z and Millennials are the most active users of functional mushrooms, primarily driven by benefits related to immunity, cognitive health and athletic performance.
Full-spectrum benefits
The ‘full-spectrum’ benefits claimed by NuCelium are attributed to the use of not only the mycelium but also the fruiting bodies and extracellular compounds that make up the fungal organism. This reportedly allows for the preservation of the natural synergy and functionality of the powders, as well as retaining all of the mushroom bioactives, the company claimed.
Different from some other producers in the space, NuCelium cultivates its mushrooms on a sorghum substrate, which is naturally fermented, whereas others use grain-grown mycelium.
Describing the process, Clardy said, “[It] begins with a nutrient-rich superfood base that is inoculated with proprietary, high-quality mushroom strains. The mycelium is then allowed to grow, ferment and transform the substrate, and for certain species, mushrooms also fruit on top. The entire material—comprising mycelium, fruiting bodies and valuable extracellular compounds—is subsequently dried and milled to create a complete, potent and fully traceable ingredient.”
NuCelium has developed two mesh sizes that are suitable for a variety of delivery formats, including traditional capsules and powders to ready-to-drink formulations, she added.
