Meet the co-founders of DIRTEA
We’re Andrew and Simon Salter, the co-founders of DIRTEA, a unique range of powders and Super Blends which harness the healing powers of mushrooms, adaptogens and ayurvedic herbs to naturally enhance your wellbeing.
There’s always a lightbulb moment before the beginning of a new venture. What was that moment for you?
We have spent 12 years building brands and businesses. We have been instrumental in the conception and growth of brands as diverse as global social movement Feeling Nuts, the comeback of heavy weight champion David Haye, lifestyle concierge app Velocity Black, venture firm; The Venture Collective, live events Indaba X and Letters Live and clean meat start-up Mosa Meat.
Such hectic working lives led to almost a total burnout almost 6 years ago for both of us. We were so focused on being the CEO of our company we were disregarded becoming the CEO of our own bodies and as a result our physical and mental health started to suffer and new chronic symptoms presented themselves to us from anxiety, sleep deprivation, brain fog and panic attacks. After seeing our GP and presented with no real cure, we decided to go in search of something which tackled the root of the issues we were facing. By chance, we were introduced to a mushroom tea ceremony in London, it was life changing experience. The tea master presented us with some of the world’s most researched functional mushrooms, Reishi, Cordyceps, Chaga and Lion’s Mane. With every cup she poured, she would tell us their history which dated back to over two thousand years, also explaining how these mushrooms would instantly improve the wellbeing of many cultures. And if that wasn’t enough, the science that supported these stories and benefits was just incredible.
After our ceremony we took these mushroom powders and committed to using them over the next couple of weeks to really feel the effects. It wasn’t long before we both started to feel better, our sleep was improved, stress and anxiety was under control, and we had more clarity than ever, it really was quite amazing. We started replicating the tea ceremony, turning our apartments into a TEA ceremony experience, sharing the knowledge we unearthed about these mushrooms, the stories, the research, and the more we shared the experience the more people were being constantly reaping the benefits. This led to a lightbulb moment it was unquestionable, we knew we had to spread the message on more platforms and DIRTEA was born.
Do you have a morning routine or ritual to get your day started on the right foot?
5am: Use the sound of nature to calmly wake up. I always keep my iPhone on Airplane mode and away from my bed. I use this Calm Singing Birds Zone on Spotify. Within no more than 2 minutes of waking up, I rise, get out of bed, make my bed military style with the mantra in my head ‘Task Completion’. Waking with these positive affirmations shifts the brain chemistry into a positive focus state of achievement.
5.15am: Take a cold shower for anything between 2-5 mins. Psychologically it feels good to interrogate fear and the science is as compelling as the action: from allowing you to adapt to general stress, improve immune health, and burn unwanted fat, the activation of electrical impulses to your brain jolts your system to increase alertness, clarity, and energy levels.
5.30am: stand next to my bed facing where the sun rises, stretching my arms out above my head, eyes closed. I then draw an imaginary circle with my arms, finishing with the palms of my hands opened to commence my blessings and gratitudes. I keep this very simple but acknowledge everything from the blessings of waking up, feeling healthy and hearing my heartbeat, to the gratitude for the loved ones in my life. I am grateful that today I will start anew and aim to achieve more than yesterday. Waking with an appreciation of the simple things in life and the ability to be better than yesterday will put your mind in a content state.
545am: oil pulling, then down a pint of water with organic squeezed lemon and ginger, I then pour a hot cup of DIRTEA Lion’s Mane in preparation for meditation. (Over 2,000 years ago, Shalin Monks would use Lion's Mane tea to deepen their meditation and activate their Chi ). As there's no sound this early in the morning, I sit comfortably on my yoga mat and meditate for 15 minutes. I use the app Brain.FM, which cleverly uses different sound frequencies to push your brain into deep meditative states with the option of guided or non-guided meditation
6am: make a cup of DIRTEA Super blend Coffee, which is infused with three of our mushrooms all of them offering sublime benefits for a morning tonic from; Lions Mane to raise any brain fog, increase focus, Chaga which upregulates your immune system and Cordyceps which activates your ATP levels (Aka your energy currency cells)
630am: walk to the Serpentine Lake where I meet with the DIRTEA tribe to take a morning dip in the cold. Together we jump into the lake, form a circle and spend 10 mins in temperatures as cold as 2 degrees. We invite fear and push each other to breathe beyond what we would normally believe we could achieve. The aim is to get comfortable with not being comfortable. Not one of us breaks the circle and we push each other to stay tight using chants, laughter and synchronised breathing led by our breath master Jamie Clements. It’s the wildest experience, because once we leave the lake together, we may be cold, but the flood of endorphins firing through the brain puts us all in a state of euphoria.
8am: head into office.
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt so far as an entrepreneur?
My biggest lesson has been attention to time. When building a business, it can certainly feel like so much is happening at once and time can slip away. Time is a commodity that I have learnt when managed appropriately more is accomplished given more time and space to attend so personal goals.
Working with a co-founder can be tricky, so understanding and compromise is important. How have you both found the process of building a business together? What makes it work?
As brothers, we have a strong bond and one that can never be broken. What does that mean? We have a shared vision to build the world’s largest authority Mushroom wellness brand. In this shared pursuit, neither one of us judges each other and we support each other both in life and in business. I find this an important asset when growing a business. It’s not always plain sailing and in times of uncertainty a business partnership can be testing. To have a business partner you can be honest and truthful with, with no agenda, but all in spirit of the shared vision gives greater confidence and puts us way ahead of any competition that comes close to us. We have grown to understand each other’s strengths and we add strength to that by allowing each other to flourish. I find that rare characteristic in business.
What’s the most common problem your customers approach you with?
This can certainly be misconceptions about mushrooms and how to use our mushroom extract powders. This is also a challenge we love as this helps us simplify and democratise an area of mushrooms that for many years have been misunderstood.
How do you set yourself apart from other businesses in your industry?
Firstly, and most importantly DIRTEA is the most potent and purest mushroom powder on the market. Just check out our reviews and see how many customers are constantly reaping the health benefits which include glowing skin, better sleep, less fatigue, more energy, a stronger immune system, and this is all in a matter of weeks.
We also created a brand that is not just sat in wellness, but lifestyle and fashion. DIRTEA is rarely hidden in the pantry cupboard but on display in the dining room, on the office desk laid on the table with coffee table books and sits perfectly between Dior and Prada, which thousands got to experience at our recent Mushroom coffee joint in Selfridges. Again, this is another example that sets us apart from business in this space.
What plans do you have for DIRTEA over the next two years?
We are launching more super blends, extending our product offering into more consumable areas that will constantly elevate our customers drinking experience. We will also be bringing our DIRTEA community together in more unique event experiences.
What are your top tips for entrepreneurs wanting to get their business out there?
If you unquestionably believe in your idea and the positive impact it will have on others, then invest your time and limit your social life, pivoting that time and energy into areas that puts you ahead of anyone else in this space. Do the deep research, reading, understand the industry you are entering and become the expert in your industry and idea. Find mentors. Look at your competition, what are they not doing that you could do and what are they doing that you could do better. What is it that will give you the competitive edge? Even if you are not the first out the gate and there are others in that space, create the perception you are the first out the gate.
What do you think gives a brand longevity?
Firstly community. We are building a brand that we want people to care about as much as we do. DIRTEA, is not just built on a transaction but building a community of people who want to improve their wellbeing and we want our customers to feel better than yesterday and educate our customers in ways that helps them to utilise their DIRTEA mushrooms in their lifestyle. Our customers know that our brand is growing exponentially, whether that be from innovative product offerings to experiences. The DIRTEA community is the heartbeat of the brand, and we recognise them for that.
Do you prioritise self-care as an entrepreneur?
Our business was born out of finding a solution to our burnout. Everything we do is a dance of self-care, if we’re not fully 100% mentally and physically, then nor will our business be.
What would be your top three tips to fellow entrepreneurs to look after their mental health?
Focus on your sleep hygiene, ensure the moment you step into your home that everything is about winding down and preparing the body for a deep quality sleep. We recently shared a blog to our DIRTEA community about some of the natural techniques we have unearthed that took us from insomniacs to sleeping champions.
Ensure you are up before the world wakes and in doing so follow some of the simple and powerful techniques we have used over the years to ensure we are winning the morning. We recently put out a blog to our DIRTEA community with some simple and powerful techniques that helped us rid of any chronic symptoms allowing us to bring in the day with greater clarity, no angst and laser eye focus for the day ahead. One thing to remember, your morning routines are dictated by your evenings
Thirdly, start becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable and one thing I have learnt over the years is interrogating the fear of the cold. By doing so you are adapting the body to stress to the point of putting your body ironically into a calm state known as the parasympathetic state, allowing your heart rate to drop and the breath to slow down. Other benefits include reduction in anxiety, a boost in mood levels, immune system, better quality sleep cycles and the ability to adapt to stress better. Adopting cold into your life will ensure you are more resilient and mentally ahead of your competition.
