The Santa Monica flagship of a mushroom-based beverage brand that rose to prominence as a coffee alternative, is preparing to host its first-ever Psychedelic Summit on Saturday, July 19. The free, all-ages event being held at MUD\WTR Café aims to bridge science, spirituality and community through a day of panels, hands-on workshops and wellness-oriented experiences, all served with a side of mushroom coffee.
Organized by grassroots group Myceliumatters, the summit will feature keynote speakers, research presentations, cultivation demos and what the organizers call a “holistic wellness marketplace.” It will take place at MUD\WTR’s 5,748-square-foot Main Street space, a converted former carpet factory known for its pine-accented, plant-filled interior and sliding aircraft hangar-style doors.
“This free summit is a milestone for the psychedelic community in Southern California,” said Aixarret Hernandez, co-founder of Myceliumatters. “It’s a space to bring science, culture and community together and to provide accessible education about the healing potential of psychedelics in a safe, inclusive environment.”
Scheduled from 11am to 6pm, the summit is designed to appeal to the curious and the committed alike, with a lineup that includes neuropharmacologists, medical researchers, local doctors and veterans working at the forefront of psychedelic integration and harm reduction. Many of the speakers are affiliated with the Treatment & Research in Psychedelics (TRIP) Clinic, also based in Santa Monica.
Attendees will be able to take part in mushroom cultivation and cactus grafting workshops, explore wellness products and sample MUD\WTR’s non-psychedelic drinks made with ingredients like Lion’s Mane, Cordyceps, Reishi and Chaga. According to founder Shane Heath, the formulation was created as a functional yet flavorful alternative to traditional coffee, inspired by his own experience with stress and burnout in the tech industry.
“I’d bring this drink into the office and everyone asked me what it was,” Heath said. “So I just started calling it mud … despite everyone around drinking coffee, most people I talked to actually wanted to drink less.”
Heath founded MUD\WTR in 2018 after leaving a career as a UX designer in Silicon Valley. Drawing on his familiarity with gourmet mushrooms, his mother worked for Monterey Mushrooms, one of the largest growers in North America, he began developing blends intended to offer focus, physical performance and mood-lifting benefits without the jittery effects of caffeine.
What began as a homegrown beverage business evolved into a multimillion-dollar online operation, with nearly two million customers and a headquarters that now doubles as the café. The space has since expanded its offerings to include cold plunge stations, a sauna and weekly breathwork classes, establishing itself as a wellness hub that stretches beyond coffee alternatives.
A portion of proceeds from the upcoming summit will go toward supporting the Temple of the Rose and Chalice, a newly launched entheogenic church led by TRIP Clinic directors Dr. Keith Heinzerling and Karina Sergi. According to organizers, the church aims to foster spiritual growth and communal healing through sacred plant-based practices.
For those looking for a deeper experience, VIP tickets are available and include front-row seating, access to a meet-up lounge and curated gift bags.
Myceliumatters, the group behind the event, was founded to promote psychedelic literacy and education across Los Angeles and the Southwest. Though this will be their first large-scale event in Santa Monica, the group hopes it will serve as a model for future community-based programming in the psychedelic space.
The summit also reflects a broader shift in Southern California’s wellness landscape, where conversations around microdosing, psilocybin-assisted therapy and plant-based medicine are becoming increasingly mainstream. Santa Monica, already a magnet for alternative health movements, appears poised to play a central role in shaping that discourse.
For MUD\WTR, the summit is another step in its evolution from a quirky caffeine substitute to a cultural platform that blends lifestyle branding with wellness ideology. Founder Shane Heath has long championed the idea of the café as a “third place,” a space that isn’t home or work, but somewhere in between where people can gather, reflect and connect.
“It’s something that coffee culture started,” Heath said. “You come in and you share, you communicate with other individuals.”
With its blend of research, ritual and retail, the Psychedelic Summit is aiming to expand that third space even further, into the growing and sometimes controversial territory of plant medicine, mental health and spiritual exploration.
MUD\WTR Café is located at 2515 Main Street. More information is available at mudwtrgather.com. The summit is free and open to the public.