Runa LLC
Encyclopedia
Runa LLC is a privately-held organic Amazonian beverage company primarily processing and selling guayusa. The company is based in Brooklyn, New York with offices in Quito
and Archidona, Ecuador
. It was founded in 2008 by three soon-to-be Brown University
graduates, Daniel MacCombie, Tyler Gage, and Charles Harding. The company operates the world’s only guayusa processing facility in Archidona, Ecuador.
Runa bagged guayusa launched on the East Coast
in October 2010 in natural food stores and supermarkets. In September 2010, the company received its USDA organic certification
. Runa purchases guayusa directly from indigenous farmers who own their own land in a model following Fair Trade
principles.
In early 2011, the Ecuadorian government approved a $500,000 equity investment in Runa.
farmers in the Napo
and Pastaza
provinces of the Ecuadorian Amazon and pays a guaranteed minimum price to farmers. Runa also provides technical assistance and training programs to smallholder farmers through its team of eight indigenous field technicians. Farmers receive direct market access and training in sustainable agriculture and reforestation.
Runa's non-profit arm, Runa Foundation, provides tools and resources to indigenous communities and farmers' associations to increase access to markets and encourage sustainable agricultural practices. It focuses on social empowerment, community development, and environmental management.
Quito
San Francisco de Quito, most often called Quito , is the capital city of Ecuador in northwestern South America. It is located in north-central Ecuador in the Guayllabamba river basin, on the eastern slopes of Pichincha, an active stratovolcano in the Andes mountains...
and Archidona, Ecuador
Archidona, Ecuador
Archidona is a colonial town, founded in 1560, north of Tena, Ecuador in the Napo Province. Archidona still serves as one of the region's main missionary outposts...
. It was founded in 2008 by three soon-to-be Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
graduates, Daniel MacCombie, Tyler Gage, and Charles Harding. The company operates the world’s only guayusa processing facility in Archidona, Ecuador.
Runa bagged guayusa launched on the East Coast
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
in October 2010 in natural food stores and supermarkets. In September 2010, the company received its USDA organic certification
Organic certification
Organic certification is a certification process for producers of organic food and other organic agricultural products. In general, any business directly involved in food production can be certified, including seed suppliers, farmers, [food] processors, retailers and restaurants.Requirements vary...
. Runa purchases guayusa directly from indigenous farmers who own their own land in a model following Fair Trade
Fair trade
Fair trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries make better trading conditions and promote sustainability. The movement advocates the payment of a higher price to producers as well as higher social and environmental standards...
principles.
In early 2011, the Ecuadorian government approved a $500,000 equity investment in Runa.
Products
Runa offers four blends of guayusa for retail sale in tea bags, all of which are USDA certified organic and Kosher certified.| Flavor | Ingredients |
|---|---|
| Traditional Guayusa | Guayusa |
| Peppermint Peppermint Peppermint is a hybrid mint, a cross between the watermint and spearmint . The plant, indigenous to Europe, is now widespread in cultivation throughout all regions of the world... Guayusa |
Guayusa, Peppermint |
| Guayusa Spice | Guayusa, Lemongrass, Cinnamon Cinnamon Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several trees from the genus Cinnamomum that is used in both sweet and savoury foods... |
| Ginger Citrus Guayusa | Guayusa, Orange Peel, Ginger Ginger Ginger is the rhizome of the plant Zingiber officinale, consumed as a delicacy, medicine, or spice. It lends its name to its genus and family . Other notable members of this plant family are turmeric, cardamom, and galangal.... |
| Awakening the Dreamer Guayusa (blend available only in specialty tin) | Guayusa, Lavender Lavender The lavenders are a genus of 39 species of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. An Old World genus, distributed from Macaronesia across Africa, the Mediterranean, South-West Asia, Arabia, Western Iran and South-East India... , Sage |
Social Mission
Runa buys its guayusa from 600 indigenous KichwaKichwa
Kichwa is a Quechuan language, and includes all Quechua varieties spoken in Ecuador and Colombia by approximately 2,500,000 people...
farmers in the Napo
Napo Province
Napo is a province in Ecuador. Its capital is Tena. The province contains the Napo River. The province is low developed without much industrial presence. The thick rainforest is home to many natives that remain isolated by preference, descendents of those who fled the Spanish invasion in the Andes,...
and Pastaza
Pastaza Province
Pastaza is a province in the Oriente of Ecuador located in the eastern jungle. The capital is Puyo, founded on May 12, 1899 and which boasts 25,800 inhabitants...
provinces of the Ecuadorian Amazon and pays a guaranteed minimum price to farmers. Runa also provides technical assistance and training programs to smallholder farmers through its team of eight indigenous field technicians. Farmers receive direct market access and training in sustainable agriculture and reforestation.
Runa's non-profit arm, Runa Foundation, provides tools and resources to indigenous communities and farmers' associations to increase access to markets and encourage sustainable agricultural practices. It focuses on social empowerment, community development, and environmental management.