Our story
Our Journey to Finding Bliss.
Sometimes, the most beautiful beginnings come from the most unexpected endings.
Hi, we’re Dylan and Sammi Dreiling. Husband and wife, parents, and the Canadian couple behind Ananda Elixirs. This is the story of how we lost almost everything, found our way home, and found our bliss along the way.
Discover our story
Chapter 01 · When one chapter ends
Every Ending Is a New Beginning.
For more than ten years, we poured ourselves into a wellness business. In early 2021, we lost it.
Around the same time, Sammi unexpectedly lost her dad, and we were raising a young family.
Honestly? It was a lot.
But somewhere in the middle of it, a new question showed up: what do we actually want our life to look like?
Chapter 02 · The question that changed everything
What If We Followed Our Bliss?
Then came a long drive. Just the two of us, the open road and one big question:
If we could build anything, something we genuinely loved, what would it be?
We didn’t have every answer by the end of that drive, but we had a direction.
Ananda
Sanskrit · bliss
Ananda is Sanskrit for bliss. We named the company after the feeling we were chasing, and the little moments of joy we hope you find too.
“What if we stopped chasing what we thought we should do and started following what made us happy?”
Chapter 03 · From our kitchen to yours
A Little Idea. A Lot of Mushrooms.
Dylan has been fascinated by functional mushrooms for years. Sammi? Not a fan of the muddy powders.
So we wondered: what if mushrooms were something you actually looked forward to?
In 2022, we started experimenting at our own kitchen counter. Many, many test batches later (some delicious, some definitely not), Shroom Soda® was born: a zero-sugar, caffeine-free soda alternative made with functional mushroom extracts.
Chapter 04 · Wellness should taste amazing
Who Says Wellness Can’t Be Delicious?
Here’s something we figured out early: if it doesn’t taste amazing, nobody sticks with it.
Chapter 05 · Not all mushroom extracts are created equal
A Little Obsessive About Mushrooms. And Proud of It.
We’ll admit it: we nerd out about this stuff.
- 01
The real mushroom
Fruiting-body extracts only. Never Mycelium.
- 02
Extracted three times
A slow, careful triple-extraction process.
- 03
Chosen and sourced on purpose
Wild Foraged, Or Grown Using Sustainable Agro-Forestry.
- 04
Every bottle, like the last
Because what goes into your daily ritual matters just as much as what you get out of it.
Chapter 06 · Our Dragons’ Den moment
We Walked In With a Bottle and a Big Idea.
Sharing the Ananda story on CBC’s Dragons’ Den is one of those days we still pinch ourselves about.
We stood in front of that giant sign, a little nervous, mostly giddy, and told the Dragons why a mushroom drink should taste like something you actually crave. No mushroom taste, nothing clinical, just real flavour and a ritual you look forward to.
However the cameras were rolling, the feeling we walked out with was the same one we started with: this little idea from a small kitchen had legs. ❤️
Chapter 07 · A proudly Canadian story
Turns Out, Our Little Idea Had Legs.
Kitchen experiments turned into real bottles, then real orders, then a real business. In 2024 we brought Ananda home to Ottawa, and Canadians have been cheering us on ever since.
Then came a moment we still pinch ourselves about: sharing our story on CBC’s Dragons’ Den, in front of the whole country. Two Canadians, one bottle, and a very big idea.
Today, you can order Ananda from our shops in:
- Canada
- United States
- United Kingdom
- Europe
2021
A new chapter begins.
2022
Ananda Elixirs is born.
2024
Back home in Ottawa, where we own and run Ananda today.
Dragons’ Den
Sharing our story with all of Canada on CBC.
Today
40,000+ Ananda sippers and counting, from Canada to the world.
Chapter 08 · Family-owned. Canadian-operated. Still following our bliss.
The Best Part? We’re Just Getting Started.
We’ve grown a lot since those first kitchen batches, but Ananda is still a Canadian, family-owned business, led by the two of us from Ottawa.
Still curious. Still tinkering with new flavours.
The plan hasn’t changed: make things people love, keep innovating, and enjoy the ride.
“Thank you for being part of our journey. What started as a simple question about following our bliss has become something bigger than we ever imagined. We’re incredibly grateful to share it with you.”
Ready to Find Your Bliss?
Discover deliciously different ways to make functional mushrooms part of your everyday routine.
