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Close-up of mushroom gills with the words “NORTH SPORE” in bold white letters over the image.

North Spore

Mushrooms for everyone

For a decade, North Spore has helped people grow mushrooms everywhere, from kitchen counters to commercial farms. As the movement expanded from hobbyists to wellness enthusiasts and full-scale growers, the brand was ready for a platform that could match its ambition.

Anchour reimagined every layer of their business, from brand and digital experience to the lifecycle program that keeps customers growing long after the first kit lands on the doorstep. We refined their identity, restructured complex product systems, rebuilt their Shopify Plus storefront, and architected the email and SMS engine that compounds revenue with every send. The new North Spore brings modern technology to an ancient art, and positions the brand to lead the next era of fungi culture.

A black tote bag with mushroom illustrations and names, labeled NORTH SPORE, lying on green grass in sunlight.
Text “Mushrooms for good” with overlapping translucent orange mushrooms on the right side and a small oval logo reading “MIRTIL” above the word “Mushrooms.”.
A collage featuring mushrooms, a person lying in grass, abstract designs, and text about the brain health benefits of mushrooms, with NORTH SPORE and SHOP GROW KITS included.
A card with NORTH SPORE text lies on top of large, light brown mushrooms, surrounded by dark shadows.
Abstract design with mauve shapes on the left, yellow line art flowers in the upper right, and a purple flower in the lower right corner on a transparent background.
A cluster of pale yellow mushrooms is illustrated beside a pink flower bud with soft petals on a black background. Two abstract, solid shapes in muted mauve tones resembling simple, stylized mushrooms on a transparent background.

THE BIG IDEA

Putting funk back in
the mix

North Spore wanted a visual evolution, not a reinvention. Their monochromatic look was working, packaging was off the table, and a website overhaul was already on the horizon. The opportunity was to elevate what already worked, not replace it.

At the same time, they were ready for something fresh. And a little funky. With an audience segment affectionately nicknamed “Shroomers,” we had license to get weird in the right places: inject personality, break a few rules, and give the brand room to surprise people without losing the trust they’d spent a decade building.

A black T-shirt with colorful mushroom illustrations hangs on a tree; beside it, a white cap with Mushrooms for good rests on moss in a forest scene.

Brand Identity

Mushrooms in technicolor

Black stayed as the foundation, but North Spore’s vibe is far from cottagecore. They wanted to feel organic and grounded, connected to the earth, while leaving the door open for delight.

We introduced a richer supporting palette and bolder contrasting hues that could live alongside black without competing with it. The result is a visual system that feels cleaner and more modern at first glance, then reveals playful depth through color pops, imagery, and unexpected details. Rooted, but not precious. Technical, but never sterile.

Four Instagram story slides featuring reishi mushrooms, text about their health benefits, fun facts, and a Grow wonder at home message, with earthy and natural-themed backgrounds.
A collage of mushroom-themed social media posts, including close-ups of mushroom gills, a forest portrait, and text about mushrooms and mycology.
A row of illustrated owl heads in various colors separated by the phrase “You are on a unique path,” repeated multiple times on a black background.
A row of illustrated owl heads in various colors separated by the phrase “You are on a unique path,” repeated multiple times on a black background.

Digital Experience

Creating cultures

North Spore’s loyal audience is built on trust, curiosity, and a shared obsession with fungi. The new website needed to serve that core community while widening the door for the mushroom-curious who feel intimidated by the learning curve.

We started by defining user personas and mapping journeys, from the first “how do I grow mushrooms?” question to repeat purchases, deeper education, and experimentation. That work shaped everything that followed: navigation, page hierarchy, product storytelling, and the balance between education and commerce.

The goal wasn’t a prettier site. It was a clearer, more confident experience for every type of grower, from first-timers to full-on myco nerds.

Screenshot of North Spore’s website showing mushroom growing kits, a 20% off wellness code, customer testimonials, and product options like spray and grow mushroom kits.
A website homepage featuring pink and white mushrooms with the text Mushrooms made easy—and magical. Navigation and product categories appear at the top and bottom.
Six minimalist line icons: crescent moon, atom, spiral, tree, house with plant, and yin-yang symbol, all in light beige on a black background.
A website homepage featuring mushroom guides, collections, customer testimonials, and a footer, all with mushroom-themed graphics and photos.
Screenshot of a website displaying four bestselling mushroom starter kits, each with product images, names, ratings, and prices, against a background of a mushroom gill pattern.

digital strategy

A framework for experimentation

We built North Spore’s Shopify Plus site as a flexible, modular system so their team can launch and manage most content without developer support. Using Shopify metaobjects as structured content types and theme blocks as drag-and-drop components, we separated content management from site structure. With reusable blocks and data models in place, marketers can populate and arrange them visually inside Shopify.

The architecture enables instant updates without deployments, consistent layouts through a mix of dynamic and static blocks, and features like variant-driven species content, auto-generated hub grids, and configurable fallback defaults. The result is a faster, lower-maintenance platform that empowers non-technical users to experiment, publish, and iterate quickly while keeping performance and design consistent site-wide.

Two overlapping pop-up windows show an online cart: one contains mushroom grow kit items; the other says the cart is empty with a “Shop Grow Kits” button. Blurred, colorful mushrooms are in the background.
Screenshot of a product page for the Organic Lions Mane Spray & Grow Mushroom Growing Kit, showing the kit image and purchase options.
Chart showing 13 types of mushrooms to grow, including Lions Mane, Shiitake, Blue Oyster, Pink Oyster, and others, with icons and beginner recommendations. Orange mushroom in the background.
Two product listings: Lion’s Mane Mushroom Tincture with add and plus buttons, and Wild Foraged Chaga Mushroom Tea with a yellow ADD button. Each has a brief product description.
Three mobile screens show a mushroom-growing guide, a Chestnut mushroom growing kit for sale, and a shopping page with categories for grow kits and collections.
Side-by-side comparison of a websites old (left) and new (right) designs for mushroom fruiting blocks, showing an updated layout and improved visuals.
Before-and-after comparison of mobile shopping carts: the before screens show plain, minimal carts; the after screens show visually enhanced, detailed, and more engaging cart designs.
Before-and-after comparison of a website redesign; the old site has a white background and dropdown menus, the new site has a dark theme, clear categories, product images, and an orange top bar.

THE RESULTS

In the first 30 days after launch, and right before their biggest sales event of the year, North Spore mushroomed.

+40%
Increase in gross sales
+7%
Increase in conversion rate
1.5x
Increase in page speed
+13%
Increase in average order value
A collage of seven website screenshots about mushrooms, showing guides, blog posts, shopping options, FAQs, and mushroom images in various layouts and colors.
Cluster of light-colored oyster mushrooms in front of large, bold white text that reads NORTH SPORE on a transparent background.

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