Ethical statement
About us
Hey there, meet The Guayusa Co! We’re a forward-thinking start-up beverage brand who launched in 2015. We’re the first company in the UK and Europe to sell a new energy tea that’s set to transform peoples’ relationship with caffeine via our vibrant range of loose leaf and tea bag products.
The tea is called Guayusa (yeh, we know what you’re thinking - it’s pronounced ‘gwhy-u-sa’ 😊) and it’s truly magical. Our products are completely plastic-free.
About Guayusa
Guayusa is a highly-caffeinated leaf that grows in the pristine and bio-diverse Ecuadorian Amazon. What’s unique about Guayusa is that the caffeine releases slowly, so doesn’t give any anxiety or jitters.
In the last decade, Guayusa has become popular as a clean, plant-based and vegan-friendly source of caffeine energy, having first gained traction in the USA through brands such as Runa. Thanks to us and a handful of other emerging brands, it’s quickly becoming more widely known in the UK and Europe.
Guayusa has been harvested since ancient times and for the Kichwa - an Ecuadorian indigenous people who grow the Guayusa we sell - it’s integral to their daily life, both on a functional and spiritual level. We’re passionate about Guayusa and the economic possibilities it offers to the Kichwa, the preservation of their unique way of life and the conservation of the fragile ecosystem in which they dwell.
About our supplier
Our supplier trades directly with over 100 small-scale Kichwa farming families in the region of Archidona and Tena who are certified in organic farming. Their innovative approach to working with the Kichwa blends deep ancestral knowledge and modern, technical cultivation techniques that produce the most outstanding quality Guayusa, competitive prices and availability to market.
We’re proud to know our supplier pays their farmers 15% more than the Fair Trade rate. There are no middle-men which helps to dynamise this burgeoning new economy, all centred around the ‘super-leaf’.
As well as this, our supplier supports the Kichwa communities in the preservation of their important cultural and ancestral traditions. They also help educate through the implementation of training projects that teach how to maximise yields, while remaining sensitive to their beautiful environment.
About the Ecuadorian Amazon
The Ecuadorian Amazon is among the most biodiverse and rich ecosystems on the planet. Sadly, its vast natural wealth makes it a target for exploitation - it’s of great importance to conserve this unique habitat.
As an organic product, our Guayusa does not use any chemicals, GMOs or pesticides. Importantly, our supplier promotes the production of Guayusa as an agroforestry crop.
This means that Guayusa trees are grown alongside a mix of other native plants, some of which will provide extra income for the farmers too. This practice results in healthy soil and a well-preserved habitat for wildlife in addition to a reduction of deforestation in the Amazon.
Nearly all of our Guayusa comes from ‘Chacras’ (family-owned farms), which are spread across over 4.4 million square feet of exquisite plantations, oozing with flora and fauna. This vast land, owned and farmed by families, is part of a rich forest habitat that encourages people to respect the ‘Pachamama’ (Mother Earth), and to use the resources of the rainforest responsibly and sustainably with no deforestation.
Our supplier has also won a number of international awards - including from the United Nations - and they carry a number of certifications including both EU / USDA organic and Kosher.