Skye Chilton, CEO, and Adam Chilton, Head of BrandSince 1989, Nammex has pioneered the cultivation of organic mushrooms and development of high-quality mushroom extracts to support consumer health and wellness. For over 30 years, Nammex has been a leader in advancing the scientific understanding of mushroom extracts and commercial use of scientifically validated analytical methods for quality control testing of fungal products. Nammex’s mushroom extracts are produced under rigorous quality standards, including growing mushrooms naturally using organic practices, processing the mushrooms following cGMP standards, quality control testing in qualified laboratories, and yearly audits of farm and factory. Nammex founder and President Jeff Chilton has deep, long-standing relationships with top researchers and growers of functional mushrooms. Today, the company is led by the second generation of the family, Skye Chilton, CEO and Adam Chilton, Head of Brand, and by Bill Chioffi, COO.

Leading the Way on Functional Mushrooms

Nammex supplies a variety of organic functional mushroom extract powders to the dietary supplement, food and beverage industries. The company’s goal is to provide the highest quality mushroom extracts and do so in a manner that promotes the wellbeing of the planet and its inhabitants. Nammex strives to accomplish this by growing mushrooms the way nature intended, the way customers expect, and in harmony with the values that we share.

All of the company’s mushroom extracts are certified organic, certified kosher, NASC approved for pets and validated for the important fungal compounds like beta-glucans that make these mushrooms special. To support customers’ regulatory compliance, the concentrated mushroom extracts have self-affirmed GRAS status validating the safety for use in the high-growth market of functional food and beverages.

Second-Generation Success

Since the very beginning, Nammex has been focused on science, asking questions and being curious. This still informs the company’s decisions today, whether that’s developing new products, new test methods, or improving extraction techniques. Skye Chilton shares, “Through mentorship from my father, Jeff Chilton, I’ve learned to respect the deep body of traditional knowledge of mushrooms while utilizing modern scientific methods to ensure quality, and expand applications to support human and companion animal health.”

Advocating for Best Practices

Nammex has a long history of advocating for best practices in the mushroom category. From developing the first testing methods for reishi triterpenes to popularizing beta-glucan testing, the company is continually at the forefront in pushing product quality to new levels. These tests will clearly demonstrate the difference between the active constituents present in beneficial mushrooms and the lack of these compounds in the tempeh-like mycelium grown on grain, which is often marketed as mushroom. This is especially important as demand in this category continues to grow. 

Pioneering Cultivation

“Because of our deep understanding of mushrooms and long history growing them, we are at the forefront of developing cultivation programs,” the Chiltons say. For example, the growing demand for Turkey tail mushrooms has put significant pressure on the wild collection. Historically, Nammex’s testing protocols have shown that wildcrafted material has inconsistent quality compared to their organically cultivated counterparts, so cultivation experiments were initiated by Nammex and partner farms with the goal to find a suitable, high yielding cultivar that could grow on available wood-based materials. Once these initial cultivation conditions were met, analytical testing demonstrated that the cultivated mushrooms were of consistent quality and regularly met higher standards than those set by regulatory agencies. 

Now several years later, Nammex has exponentially increased in the amount of cultivated Turkey tail mushroom harvested by its partner farms. Mushroom cultivation provides many benefits to local communities and protecting wild species is one of them. Cultivation removes pressure on the local ecosystems as this species of mushroom sees rapid growth in demand.

Fighting for Transparency

For many years, Nammex has been advocating for full transparency in product labeling and urging companies in the industry to identify ingredients according to the part of the fungal organism from which they are derived (mushroom, mycelium, spore), which would be consistent with FDA’s long-standing and broadly followed labeling requirement for botanicals. In 2023, Nammex filed a Citizen Petition with FDA requesting the FDA to address the mislabeling of dietary supplements and functional foods as “mushroom” or containing “mushrooms” when they contain other fungal parts, and do not contain “mushrooms” as claimed, or fail to disclose added grain substrate ingredients. 

“To help make the point, we commissioned a survey of 10,000 people in the U.S. on mushroom terminology and what they thought a ‘mushroom’ was,” Skye Chilton says. “The results showed quite clearly that people believe that the mushroom is the fruiting body, which is accurate with mycological terminology. Surveyors had little idea what mycelium was and did not call it a mushroom.”

Paying it Forward

Nammex donates thousands of doses of excess mushroom extracts to health related practitioners and non-profits who provide assistance to families and individuals in need. Nammex also donates to a variety of local charities and nonprofits. 

What’s New at Nammex

In 2023, Nammex launched two new innovative ingredients:

ErgoGold™: Ergothioneine (Ergo) is a food-derived antioxidant which is found in high amounts in certain fungi, but in supplements usually sourced from either synthetic or purified yeast derived isolates. ErgoGold extract powder from Golden Oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus citrinopileatus) delivers a therapeutic amount of Ergo plus a full complement of other therapeutic compounds including beta-glucans, ergosterol, and secondary metabolites. Excellent for individuals sensitive to yeast or those wanting a non-synthetic and natural full spectrum ingredient.

MycoD2 Mushroom-derived vitamin D: This whole food source of vitamin D is the first derived solely from mushrooms. By utilizing pulsed UV light technology, Nammex is able to convert the fungal sterol, ergosterol, into high amounts of vitamin D2. Ideal for consumers seeking a whole food and vegan source that delivers the daily RDA of vitamin D with as little as 60mg.

Educating Consumers, Advancing Quality

“A big a-ha moment for us was switching from educating companies to educating consumers,” says Adam Chilton. “If you can do this at scale, you can drive the market to where you want it to go. Companies will then start coming to you asking for the exact products that their customers want. 

Skye Chilton adds: “Consumers are now, more than ever, wanting to know how their products are made, where the ingredients are grown and how they are processed. We leaned into this heavily by embracing our mushroom growing and manufacturing relationships with China; showcasing the role that mushrooms play in China’s history and current society.”

Words of Wisdom from Nammex

With the growing nature of e-commerce and the ability to start a brand very quickly, competition in the natural product industry is going to continue to increase. Increased competition will lead to some brands cutting corners, and this could impact the industry as a whole if customers are not getting the perceived benefits or brands are overhyping certain ingredients. With more and more reports being released showing many products are not meeting label claim, it’s more important than ever to use quality ingredients that can be backed by analytical testing. Consumers now want to know where their ingredients come from and that they have been properly tested to be safe and efficacious.