Runa Quenches Thirst of Consumers, Providing Income to Ecuador Farmers
by Di (Dina) Lu ~ October 19th, 2012. Filed under: Uncategorized.
Over the last two decades, social enterprises and entrepreneurs have drawn closer to the heart of business, quite literally.
Runa Tea is a social enterprise that sells guayusa tea, cultivated by farmers in the Ecuadorian Amazon. The company brings long-lasting positive impact to more than 1,700 indigenous farmers by providing a source of income, as well as planting over 150,000 trees annually. The tea is fair trade and organic, and although it contains the same amount of caffeine as coffee, supporters reap many more health benefits with the “energy focused” drink.
With so many competitors in the beverage industry, you would think that Runa had a difficult time entering into the market. Runa’s niche, being its focus on improving the lives of farmers, has helped it greatly. In fact, the Ecuadorian socialist president Rafael Correa has backed up the company by having the Ministry of Production put $500,000 into it in October of 2011.
Because Runa was started in Brooklyn, most of its distributors are located in the US. The store locator shows that there is one store in Vancouver that distributes Runa, sadly.
The company supports a great cause, and I hope to see it quench the thirst of more individuals in the future.